


"I Don't Need My Sight" Said Only One Ninja Ever

by Johnsdatter



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Blind Uzumaki Naruto, F/F, F/M, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Protective Hyuuga Hinata, Protective Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Protectiveness, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, dont ask, i swear Naru's gonna take someone's head off someday, it's literally everywhere, no beta we die like men, there are more but im an idiot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:40:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johnsdatter/pseuds/Johnsdatter
Summary: Chakra flows through everything, so even a person born without sight can see when they're given the ability to see that flow of chakra. Though that's a very well kept secret, it let's the blind daughter of the hokage act as normal as everyone else without putting her in danger. Uzumaki's have this weird ability to pull out the best side of someone and make them see things differently, so why would Naru Uzumaki be any different?It doesn't stop her family and friends who know from being careful with her, but she had her freedom and wasn't babied so as long as that didn't change, heads wouldn't roll."I FUCKING SWEAR GUYS!!" though there were plenty of times they nearly did anyways.
Relationships: Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi/Nohara Rin/Uchiha Obito, Hyuuga Hinata/Inuzuka Kiba, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina
Comments: 8
Kudos: 118





	1. The Birth Of A Blind Ninja That Can See

**Author's Note:**

> a little something I've randomly had on my laptop for a while so I finally decided to post it. it started out with the singular idea of naruto being blind then it became femme Naru and a soulmate au because im a cheesy sucker who loves NaruGaa and it just kept on rolling from there.

“Can we please go see her!” Rin pleads, Obito nodding quickly next to her and Kakashi on their other side, visible eye looking hopeful. Minato gulps at his old genin team, now made of two chunin and a jonin. He groans, torn between wanting to give into his team and obeying Kushina’s order to keep them away from the month old baby while she slept. “Please?! I promise we won’t even touch her, we just want to see.” 

“Ooohhh, fine. But I want you back out here as soon as I call you.” Minato’s shoulders sag as his team rushed upstairs to his young daughter’s room.

“AAAHHH!!!!” Rin screams and Minato is in his daughter’s room before she even finished. They were all frozen at the sight of the baby staring above her at the large (for a normal) fox, but miniscule for the nine tailed fox Kurama. He seemed to ignore them and touch noses to the baby, who immediately giggled and grabbed his snout.

"Did I not do the seal right?" Minato murmurs, terrified he put his daughter in danger.

**"The seal is fine."** They all look to the speaking fox.  **"She called out to me, somehow gave me a physical but very limited form. She needs support in the real world, someone that can be by her side constantly."**

"Why?" Kushina's voice is dangerous. 

**"Tsh, you haven't realized why she acts weird yet? Naru is blind."**

"That . . . Makes so much sense. But why-?

**"I'm going to your kid the ability to see chakra, but that means anything that doesn't have even traces of chakra in it or never had any in the first place she can't see so I would be careful of that."** The fox warns, growing slightly smaller as 8 of his tails turned completely invisible and he curled around the baby.  **"You got ramen? Im fucking starving."**

  
  


Kurama watched the kit sleep before looking out to the full moon. A giggle and he looked back to her. She reached out with her hands and when she didn't feel him, she sat on her hands and knees, crawling away from him slowly while trying to find the fox. Kurama's tail wraps around her and pulls the newborn against his stomach, licking her face before nosing her, pirring gently and lulling the child back to sleep.

"Never thought I'd ever see the great 9-Tailed Fox acting gentle with a baby, much less with the chance to kill its host." Kushina whispered from the door, leaning on the frame.

"She's a kit, even I was once, you don't kill kits." 

"So even you have a heart." Kushina smirks, "and I very much am grateful you got her back to sleep, but next time let me come and feed her."

"Yeah yeah, what do you want?" Kurama quietly snarled.

"I brought you ramen and some desert." She whispers, walking closer and putting the bowls by his head. "Thank you Kurama, for helping her. Besides the disability of being blind, she's the hokage's daughter. You're giving her a freedom she's never be able to have without you."

" . . . Whatever, go away before you wake the kit." He lowered his head and lapped at the ice cream, growling in that purr-like way happily at the flavor. Kushina laughs a bit but leave the room, levaing Kurama to watch over her blind daughter.

“Aaa! Ab bababa babab!” Naru holds onto Rin and Obito’s fingers as she grinned with her few teeth at Minato’s team.

“She’s so cute! Come on Naru, say Rin!”

“No! She’s gonna say Obito!” the boy shoots back, Rin sticks her tongue out at him as Kakashi clicks his tongue and gets Naru’s attention.

“Hey Naru? Ramen?” she squeals and reaches for Kakashi, babbling excitedly. Rin and Obito pout as he picks the girl up and smirks with his visible eye. “Ka-kash-i.” he says slowly after getting Naru’s attention.

“Maa?” 

“Did she just say that thing that you say all the time?” Kushina asks, popping into the living room, laughing.

“Maa? Amaa!” they stop and stare at her. Kurama jumps from the kitchen counter onto Kushina’s shoulders and smirks when Naru squeals happily. He jumps closer and sits in fornt of the baby in Kakashi’s arms.

**“Who am I kit?** ”

“Amaa! Wama!” 

**“No, Kurama.”**

“ . . . Amaa?” she asks, confused. Kushina and Minato snicker and the fox deadpans, sighing.

“Rama, try Rama kid.”

**“Rama?”** she asks slowly before giggling and reaching for the fox. Kakashi puts her downand she hugs the fox, patting his fur as he preens and acts all smug as she keeps saying his name.

“I can’t believe his name is her first word.” Kushina scowls and glares at the fox.

**“I gave her sight.”**

“And I gave her **l** ife.” they growl at each other and Naru looks between them, looking confused.

“Rama . . . Rama?” she looks between them, looking very confused.

**“Well that explains it, because you used to hold me, she sees chakra and yours became similar to mine during the years I was sealed in you.”** Kurama sighed.

“So right now our forms are different to her but she see’s us as basically the same person.” Kushina realizes before going up to Naru.

“Naru, baby. Momma, Rama. I’m Momma, that’s Rama.” she only calls them both Rama again.

“Maybe we can figure out a way to show her that you’re different people?” Minato scratches his head and Kurama sighs. He taps a paw to the table and the room lights up, the ninja gasp at how it looks. It was different, thin strings of different colors blended together to make shapes.

**“This is how Naru see’s you all, now look at us.”** Kurama was a deep blood red with strings of black that was so deep it was hard to see the end of ths strings inside him. Kushina looked similar, slightly lighter in color and not as deep, but otherwise the same. Minato has a mix of blues and grays and greens that made up his chakra, purple with a darker gray inside her to show Isobu’s power. Kakashi has a pale but stark blue and Obito a deep blue and red chakra. 

“I can see why Naru can tell the difference between Kushina and Rama now.”

**“Don’t call me that.”** Kurama snarls at Rin.

“Hey Kushina, try using your chakra, do that hair floating thing.” Kushina does and her chakra signature turns lighter, more like her natural hair color but slightly lighter than that. Naru, with golds and pale reds and a center of red and black, looks at her confused, looking about to cry. Kushina quickly stops when Naru starts crying and Kurama lets go of the jutsu, collapsing on the table as Kushina tries to pick up Naru but she pushes her away and cries. Minato picks up their daughter and shares a concerned look with Kushina as Naru cries and holds onto him.

“This is bad, if my chakra signature changes color she think’s I’m someone different and freaks out. Minato . . . what do we do?”

“I’m not sure, but the only thing I can think to do is get Tsunade, they might have an idea.”

“I’ll go get Tsunade now!” Kakahsi offers and at Minato’s nod, runs out of the apartment. Naru still won’t go to a half heartbroken Kushina and Rin keeps apologizing, thinking it was her fault.

“Yes it’s been a year and a half Rin, but Naru eventually would have seen me use my jutsu anyways. I just hope we can fix this.”

“So do I.” Tsunade says as she walks in with a white haired male behind her, looking beaten.

“Tsunade, Jiraiya, thanks for coming so quickly. But what are you doing here Jiraiya?” Minato asks.

“I was near here following the path of life and decided to drop by. Tsunade sensed me though and dragged me here with her. What’s going on kid?” Minato and Kushina explain everything, the two Sannin seem to muse over the news.

“Most chakra doesn’t change, one color, from my understanding, becomes more prominent, but your signature shouldn’t change enough to freak out Naru like that. Even if it’s your jutsu contrasting with the fox’s, it’s still you and Naru should be able to sense that, even at her age.

“Minato, let me see her.” Jiraiya sounds serious, and Naru loooks at Jiraiya, curious. “Hey Little Naru, I’m the Toad sage!” he grins at the baby on his knee. “Toads, like this!” he bites his finger and summons a small toad. Naru gasps and looks at it curiously before turning back to Jiraiya. “I can also do this!” his hair spikes up and Naru looks shocked. “Cool right? Now look over there.” he points to Minato. “Your dad is great right? He sat on a huge toad named Gamabunta’s head once. He can also do this thing and it’s like teleporting.” Minato’s eyes go wide as he realizes what Jiraiya is doing. He uses flying thunder and moves to the other side of a still confused Kushina. Naru gasps and looks excited. “He can also use a thing called Rasengan but he can’t show you that right now. And your mom, she can use a transformation jutsu!” 

“Do it hon, what you looked like when we were genin.” Minato urges. Nervously, Kushina does so. Naru looks at her strangely. 

“That’s your momma Naru.” Jiraiya murmurs. Naru looks from her to Kurama, on the wall Tsunade is smirking.

“Rama? . . . Mamma?” Kushina lights up and goes back to normal, hair floating in her happiness. “Mama?”

“Yeah, that’s right honey, mama.” 

“Rama n Mama!” Naru giggles, clapping excitedly. Kushina scoops up her daughter happily and Kurama sits on Kushina’s shoulder.

“Thank you so much Jiraiya!” Minato thanks his old mentor profusely.

“It was nothing!” Jiraiya grins and laughs, scratching the back of his head.

“Wow, for once I didn’t have to do anything.” Tsunade smirks at a scandalized Jiraiya. “Amazing, you actually solved a situation instead of making it worse. And I thought you were hopeless.”

Jiraiya deadpans “Tsunade we’ve been married for 15 years.”

“And you’re still a womanizing pervert.”

“Don’t think I don’t know that you’ve been fucking with the guys at your hospital.” 

“Can you not in front of my daughter, please?” Kushina asks the bickering couple.

**“Oh like we can’t hear you in Naru’s room.”** Kurama scoffs. The Uzumaki pair turn red and Jiraiya and Tsunade laugh at them while Minato’s team stands there, also bright red.

  
  


“Rama!” Naru giggles as she runs into the kitchen. Now six years old, the girl was normal enough with her chakra sight that no one knew that she was born blind, sso Minato and Kushina kept it secret for their daughter’s saftey. “You lef bed early today!”

**“I needed to go hunt something, I was restless kit.”** his tail brushed her face as he sat on the table eating the carcass of some rodent, a squirell most likely. The girl giggled.

“Ramen is better Rama!”

“Yeah, ramen is better Rama.” she turns and squeals, running past Obito to Kakashi.

“Kashi-nii! Obi-nii! Rin-onee! What are you doin here? You sposed to be on a mission I thinkin.”

“I thought.” Kakashi gently corrects. “And we were, we finished it.”

“Cool! Lemme see em!” they roll their eyes but show the girl the marks each had that showed their mentality. “Ok, you all ok. We go get ramen please?!” 

“Ramen is not breakfast.” Kakashi rolls his eye.

“But Obi-nii say is! Obi-nii we get ramen?” she turns to the man.

“No, you ran past me to Kakashi, meaning you like him more.”

“No, not like him more, see him first.” she pouted, dark blue eyes showing her frustration. “You hard to see ‘member? I hug you now if we get ramen.”

“Deal.” she was given to Obito as Rin giggled.

“Do I get a hug too?”

“You get hug later, Obi-nii lets go! Want ramen before Daddy get me for playdate with Hi-chan!”

“Oh, you have a playdate with Hinata today?”

“Daddy have meets with her daddy so I go play with Hi-chan.”

“Oh, ok, well then let’s go.” she cheers and Kurama jumps onto Rin’s shoulder as they leave the house where Minato and Kushina are still sleeping. Kakashi leaves them a note thankfully.

“What have I told you baby girl?” Rin turns around in the stool with Naru in her lap, looking at a disapproving Minato who still isn’t mad, but Kushina next to him looks highly amused.

“That ramen is breakfast!”

“No!” he looks about ready to cry as Kushina snorts. “Ramen isn’t breakfast!”

“Obi-nii and Rama say breakfast so it breakast!” she folds her arms and glares at the blond man she looked just like.

“Obito doesn’t know what he’s talking about and Kurama eats anything and everything.” Minato stares evenly at his daughter.

“No true, Rama not eat leeks!” the fox growls at the word, still eating his own ramen. “See, Daddy wrong so Daddy wrong about ramen, eat all the time!” he sighs in defeat with a groan as his old team oohhh’s. 

“The great fourth hokage Minato, beaten by a six year old girl.” Obito holds his chopsticks like a mic. “How does that feel Naru? To be able to beat Minato Kamikaze in a fight?” he holds them out to Naru.   
“But Momma always beat Daddy? I not only one.” Kushina laughs out right at that. “Wait! If beat Daddy mean I have ramen for breakfast all the time?!” the owner of Ichirau’s and his daughter start wheezing at that.

“Yeah Lord Fourth, if she beats you does that mean she can have ramen for breakfast?” he teases the glaring hokage.

“This time it does, but put it in a to go bowl, we gotta go to the Hyuga compound.”

“Yes Daddy! To go pease!” Naru asks and the daughter puts it in the bowl before handing it to the girl who then leaves with her Dad. Kushina sits down to have some breakfast herself.

“Hi Hi-chan!” 

“Hi Naru-chan.” the purple haired girl greets shyly as she runs over with the bowl and spoon. 

“Look! I have ramen! Want some?”

“Father says ramen not breakfast.”

“My Daddy says that too but Rama says we can!” Hinata giggles and pets the fox, picking him up and nodding before leading Naru to their favorite hiding spot. 

“Ok, now we can eat.” Hinata relaxes once they’re hidden in the hollow center section of the tree and they dig in.

“You so shy down there but you so cool, why?”

“Father says ‘m gonna be head when I’m older but I don wanna be head. I wanna be great ninja and help people. Brother says we different and I too weak to do that though.” Hinata frowns at the mention of her status and Neji.

“Well Neji don know what he talkin bout! You great and gonna be great ninja, right Rama?” Naru loks to the fox on a branch just above them.

**“She’s a hyuga, they’re always powerful. She’s not as powerful as her father, but she’s still very strong. If you can get over that shyness that you have outside of this hiding place then you’ll be great someday, but you’ll never change if your father keeps pushing you and acting like you’re older than you really are. He’s only forcing that shy behavior on you.”** the fox huffs, tail swaying between the girls.

“So it her Daddy’s fault she so shy?”

**“Yep.”**

“Huh.” Naru looks to Hinata. “Wanna train with me an Kashi-nii? He tough but he know limits and good teacher!”

“Sure!” Hinata smiles back happily and they continue eating, falling asleep later in the tree’s inner cove up within it’s branches. Kurama sighs and pulls some power from Naru to grow a bit bigger to carry the girls back to Hinata’s room.

**“Hey Hisashi, stop pushing your kid so hard.”** Minato and the head of the Hyuga family look at the fox holding both girls. “You’re the one forcing this shy nature on her and it’ll only get worse as she grows older if you keep this up. She’s a kid, so let her act like it. She’ll be training with Naru and Kakashi from now on and I will fight you on this if need be.” the threat hung in the air as the fox left and later was found outside with the children, all asleep but Kurama had three tails visible and covered them while wrapped protectively around both.

“So I’m now training the Hyuga heir?” Kakashi deadpans.

“Yes, according to Kurma, Naru offered since her father’s training is causing her shy nature and Kurama believes your training will be better for her.” he sighed at his apologetic sensei. They both knew you didn’t argue with Kurama when he put his foot down about something, so he cancelled with Guy to train with the girls that afternoon in a park. Although Guy didn’t take that too well and tried to kick Kakashi as Naru was doing jumping jacks with Hinata and Kakashi side stepped the green clad man. He stopped in surised, mid sentnce about his ‘eternal rival’ but blinked at the kids.

“Is that Hinata Hyuga?”

“Yes, Lord Hisashi was being much too hard with her training so Minato had her training given to me.” Kakashi rolled his eyes.

“Huh, never thought you’d take on another students besides Naru.”

“Naru is a special case, speaking of which. Naru you’re supposed to go to the Inuzuka compound tomorrow but Hinata, you train with me again.”

“Ok Kashi-sensei.” Hinata nodded as Naru grinned, Kurama in a tree nearby.

“It’s strange that the Uzumaki Clan protector is a fox after what happened with the nine tailed fox.” Guy murmured, looking at the beast.

“Well Naru had just been born when it was released, so the clan protector appeared to protect her and will now stay by her side until she dies, it was merely unfortunate events Guy. You know that, so don’t bring it up to Naru or anything. She doesn’t know the whole story, you know that.” 

“Yeah, I do, I’m not an idiot my eternal rival.”

“Who would’ve guessed.” Kakashi’s scent grew more comfortable again as Guy started yelling at him angrily, demanding a challenge, which made Kurama huff but Naru was sad. Kakashi didn’t like keeping her secret from his closest friend besides his soulmates Rin and Obito, but he did it for Naru’s sake. She knew the story everyone in Konoha was told about what happened instead of the truth of the matter, but if anyone found out that Naru was blind and how she saw she’d be in grave danger so the few people who knew, namely Minato, Kushina, Minato’s old team, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hinata, and one other person. Naru cheered up remembering her best best friend and was gone with Kurmama as soon as Kushina let her out of the house.


	2. To the Waves, But Stay Above

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tis been a while, sorry, with Corona virus it's been a bit chaotic, but I should have several updates today. anyways, enjoy!

“KIBA!”

“NARU!!” the boy grinned and ran over, they hugged. Hinata was Naru’s best friend, but Kiba was her best best friend and he helped her with something special she’d had since she was three. “can we go to you room an do the thing?” she whispered and he nodded before they ran to Kiba’s room, Kurama resting around the back of Naru’s neck and over her shoulders. They closed the door to his room in the Inuzuka compound and Naru took her jacket off then her shirt to that she was only in her baggy pants and laid on his bed on her stomach, revealing the sigil on her back. Kiba sat over Naru's butt and put one hand on her shoulder to steady himself as he firmly traced the mark over and over, during which Naru relaxed completely.

Both children were hyper, animated, and always excited, but when they were like this they were so calm it shocked everyone. But it seemed like forever as they talked and they adjusted how they were laying, but Kiba kept tracing her soulmark. It was only a black outline but when they touched for the first time it would become colored and more detailed.

"So Kakashi is gonna train Hinata and make her now so shy?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, but I feel bad, her daddy don't get it. He makin her shyness worse but didn think that."

"Grownups are just weird." Kiba answer and Naru giggles, turning over to stop the tracing and cuddle him. 

"Help me bind my chest so we can play?" They were only six and had barely started school, but Naru enjoyed the Inuzuka compound as it was someplace she could see and everyone there could know about her sight and she wouldn't be treated any different. The dog ninja's had a habit of not wearing shirts inside the compound and it wasn't weird to them, all girls either bound their chest or they wore a bra once they went through puberty. So Kiba himself hadn't worn a shirt the entire visit so far and he helped Naru cover her chest and they ran out to play outside and with dogs or puppies with Kurama watching over them.

It was when they were all 13 that genin teams were assigned, and it was not coincidence in the slightest that the team Kakashi got was Naru, Hinata, and Kiba. Naru wasnt being pampered, none of them were, as they still had to pass Kakashi's bell test (without Kurama's help no less) and were the first to do so. Naru was still best friends with both but while washing Kakashi's ninja hounds they noticed her scrubbing a pattern with the brush over and over absentmindedly.

"What’s on your mind Naru?" Kiba asked.

**"The kit's been wondering what colors are."** Kurama said from his spot laying in a nearby tree. Exchanging glances, Hinata and Kiba pursed their lips.

"Well, uh- wait, you see chakra in different colors right? Like I look different than Kashi-sensei besides just our shape and size and stuff."

"Well yeah." Naru murmurs.

"Well those are colors Naru." Kakashi hopped down. "When we saw the way you see when you were a baby I have light blue and gray, Rin is a dark purple with gray for Isobu, Kushina and Kurama are red, Minato is yellow. Those are all colors."

"But what is what? There are different versions of those in everyone. How do you describe something only I can see and you don't understand with it also the opposite situation as the same time? All those are similar and chakra changes depending on what jutsu is being used too." Naru rinsed the dog off and stared at the water with an upset expression. "I can see soulmarks and things on other people so I can tell how certain people are but I don't sense the chakra well and some people with chakra blocks on their body become harder for me to see anyways. And things like water look the exact same all over, there's no distinction from up or down or left or right like others like trees have."

"Naru" Kiba sighed and Akamaru whined sadly.

"No matter what I'm still blind and there's nothing I can do about that." she murured quietly, a few tears in her faded blue eyes.

"But you want to be able to see the world the way we do." Hinata said gently and Naru nodded.

"Finish up here then go to the Inuzuka compound and take the rest of the day off, you two got this?" Kiba and Hinata nodded to the man before he jumped away. To get her mind off it, Minato gave the team a C rank escorting mission that was much bigger than they ever could have imagined. Zabuza attacked and the three genin couldn't do much to help Kakashi except protect Tazuna.

"He got Kashi-sensei. What are we going to do? He'll kill us." Hinata murmurs, voice shaking.

"We do what we can, Rama!" Jumping off Naru's shoulder, the snarling fox stands between the water clone and the four. Zabuza laughs but Kakashi smirks. Pulling up her shirt, the black mark appears and twisting it, Naru supplies Kurama with more power. The demon fox grows and five of his 9 tails waves in the air as Zabuza stares in shock. Using the distraction, Hinata runs forwards and throws a demon wind shuriken that Zabuza dodges. But the second one in its shadow that he also barely dodged poofed right behind him. On his shoulders, Naru presses two kunai's into the man's throat and gets him to use both hands to throw her off. Running and yelling, Kiba dives under to get the girl as Kurama shrinks again and Kakashi fights Zabuza using his sharingan.

Semi-consious and shivering, Naru hangs mostly limp in Kiba's arms as he swims her to shore and Kakashi runs over on the water to help them after the ANBU took Zabuza's body. Resting in Tazuna's house, his grandson Inari was angry at them for no reason but when Kiba and even Hinata, still quite shy, were ready to snap at him one night at dinner, Naru slid her chair back and it fell over as she stood up quickly. 

"Really? Are you being serious right now? You should be grateful for what you still have kid. You had a father figure and he's gone now yes, but you had him didn't you? You can swim now right? I might be the hokage's daughter but my life isnt perfect, I will always struggle more than you know and never be able to do or understand things you take for granted. What color is your shirt?"

"Huh? Yellow."

"And what does your mom look like? Her hair and eye color?"

"Her hair is brown-"

"That's something I will most likely never know about my mother." Naru narrowed her eyes at the shocked boy and his family. "Be glad that you can see things like that, because in the more than unlikely chance I met my soulmate, I never will." She storms out with Kurama wrapped around her shoulders and sleeping after the fight. The ninja's refused to explain further. 

Though Kakashi was resting and recovering, Kurama decided to teach the kids how to channel chakra through their feet and walk up a tree. Ever the chakra expert, Naru got it on her first try by seeing how much chakra she needed to release, but Hinata’s competitive streak showed as she and Kiba raced to the top. It took two days but both came back limping with Akamaru following them as they came inside to eat, grinning. 

“Not bad, took you less time than I expected.” Kakashi commented calmly.

“I feel like I’m about to die.” Hinata’s laughing voice shakes with exhuastion and dizzyness.

“Well you haven’t died YET so you’re doing pretty well so far.” Naru smirks at Hinta who sticks her tongue out at the blonde girl as Kiba collapses on his face. That night was pretty quiet but Naru left Kurama there when she went out and explored that next morning. Resting on a hill, she opened her eyes and blinked at the figure over her.

“Oh good, I wasn’t sure if you were alive.”

“ . . . huh? Sure you did dude.” blinking, they stare at each other.

“Weren’t you that guy dressed as ANBU and took Zabuza going against protocall?” standing, he holds two senbon in his hands, still looking like a girl, and Naru held up her hands. “Woah chill, I don’t have anything against you, I just want to know why.” he stops, confused.

“Why?”

“Why do you willingly help someone like Zabuza.”

“ . . . because he gave me purpose, a reason to live.” sitting down, the two talk for quite a while, just talking about life and they laughed quietly together, everyone understanding that Naru wanted some alone time.

“Wait, so you’re the daughter of the fourth hokage?” Haru asks, surprised.

“Yep.”

“I always heard that you had a fox with you, so that one that fought Zabuza was it, right?”

“Yep, Rama is pretty cool, but I needed, wanted really, some alone time.”

“I’m sorry I intruded on your time like that then.”

“Naw it’s fine, you should probably go then though, I need to get back anyways before someone actually comes looking for me.” Naru gets up and reaches a hand towards Haru, yelping when the sedbon from before slides into her foot. Haru takes it out as she scratches the back of her head. “Guess I didn’t see it, sorry I got it dirty, but I hope we can meet again on friendly terms.”

“As do I, good bye.” Haru walks away and Naru smiles after him before plopping down and holding her foot, gritting her teeth.

**“You shold be more careful about hitting a sight point kid.”** Kurama says, hopping down from a tree.

“I couldn’t see that damn thing, it didn’t have any chakra mass to it Rama, but this stupid thing took out half my vision in my left eye.”

“Good thing I came along.” Kakashi picked the girl up and they went back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kurama is a protive fox momma, lol. I like Haru, i think he and Naruto could have been really good friends if he hadn't died.


	3. Introduction of Troubles and Tests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have nothing to say for myself other than I've realized a few things, this is something i do for fun and i did lose interest for a while, but i came back to this fic and i do intend to finish it nice and neat, but i will not apologize for taking time off when if i'd continued when I didn't want to, it wouldn't have been as good or nearly enjoyable for me.

The bridge was coming along nicely and was almost done, the grateful people of the Land of Waves couldn’t be happier with how the ninja had done. Though they were a bit more subdued in their victory, Kurama sat nearby but let Naru be mostly alone as she sat at the edge of the cliff where Haru and Zabuza were buried, talking to them as wind blew through her messy short blonde hair.

**“Kit, we need to get going soon.”**

“Ok Rama.” she stood up and walked so she could face the crosses and the man’s large blade. “I have to go, but I promise to come back and visit the next time I’m nearby.” bowing to the graves, she then moved and leaned down as she passed Kurama so he could jump up on her and climb onto her shoulder.

Returning to Konoha, Naru walked into her Father’s office and he looked up from his work, flashing over to her when he saw the dead tired look in her eyes and the tear tracks on her face.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

“ . . . some people who didn’t deserve it died Papa. As strong as I am, I couldn’t do anything for them.” she murmured and one loud sob ripped from her throat before they both fell on the ground as she cried into his shirt, and all Minato could do was let her get those feelings he knew all too well out. She eventually cried herself to sleep so he flashed them over to their house where he told Kushina what happened in whispers. She told him her end of the story that she got from Kakashi before letting him put their daughter down in her room where Kurama waited as she went out to get ramen from Ichirau’s to hopefully cheer Naru up when she woke. Naru did heal, like most everyone else who’d gone through similar, and Team 7 grew excited at the prospect of getting to compete in the Chunin Exams.

“You’ll totally do it Naru!” Kiba laughed as they sat in a tree together eating a lunch Kushina had made for them.

“You forget that there’s a written portion.” Naru groaned. “Paper work is the absolute bane of my existance. If any of us are gonna pass it better damn well be Hina.”

“Huh? Oh no, I don’t think so.” she sighed, lips pursed. “Neji is in them this time, I’ve still yet to beat him.”

“You’ve YET to even try.” Kiba snorts. Hinata rolls her eyes at him but shakes her head.

“I DO try, but he’s just so much stronger than I am.”

**“That’s bullshit.”** all three look up to Kurama.  **“That brat’s got a pure Byakugan like your old man, but he doesn’t have the heart you do. He hates you and the main house, that’s his motivation to beat you. You don’t have a motivation as a Hyuuga to beat him, so don’t beat him as a Hyugga. Beat him as the future Hokage, that’s your motivation isn’t it?”** she blinked as the fox but smiled and nodded, a familiar spark in her eyes that only Kakashi, Kiba and (to an extent) Naru had seen before. Huffing out with a smirk, the fox went back to sleep as they made plans of how they might be able to pass. Kiba was a pretty well rounded ninja, their biggest factors were Naru and the written portion, and the chance Hinata would have to fight Neji.

“Rama.” the faintest growl came from the fox to signal he understood her and waiting for the right time, he jumped off of her shoulders and crouched, eyes trained on a bird outside. Giving Kurama more of his power from the seal, he kept his size and number of tails, but he made himself completely invisible and moved around the room. Coming back inside, visible, after a little bit with feathers on him, he laid around Naru’s shoulders and started whispering to her, she did her best to write down the answers but being blind, life chakra didn’t help her see the marks of lifeless ink on the sheet of paper. She instead doodled when she couldn’t get it and froze at the faint snarling coming from the fox. “What?”

**“ . . . one tail.”**

_ ‘All tailed beasts can sense each other and some jinchuriki can too when they’re in touch with their beast.’ _ Naru suddenly remembered, closing her eyes and reacing out with her senses through Kurama. She felt the one tail nestled inside the red haired boy that smelled of hatred and blood, radiated an aura of a fragile mind and a closed off heart. ‘Shukaku is always angry like Rama used to be when he’s sealed in someone so it makes sense that he would affect his holder’s mind. But that doesn’t mean that this guy understands what Kurama is if he’s not in touch with Shukaku. He’s not a good host for the one tail either, that probably doesn’t help him.’ Kurama watches and feels her shoulers slump as she understands everything he alread knew. It was always bad when one of them was sealed into an uncompatible host, though if the brat tried, he could become a better host and work with Shukaku rather than against him.

Tilting her head to crack it, Naru snuck a look at the man with a chakra color similar to her mother’s, with an inner depthness similar to how all Jinchuriki looked with a blend of a color Kakashi called tan that she’d seen in Haru and the purple Hinata was made up of. The test was suddenly called to end and she nearly jumped in surprise. Finding out that if any member of your team failed the written test none of your team would be allowed to take the test in the future again, Akamaru looked back to Naru and shook her head. Kiba wanted to disobey his best friend because they all knew she would most likely not pass and Hinata’s goal was to become hokage after all. But slamming her hands down and standing, Naru stood up grinning.

“If you think me or any of my team will fail here and or will waver in our trust in each other you’re dearly mistaken! I could care less where I go in life but I got a friend who’s gonna be the future hokage so don’t think we’re going anywhere!” at her outburst, the amount of people who’d been considering leaving still stopped and stood their ground.

“That was wicked brave Naru.” Kiba snickered later, Akamaru barking about his shoulders.

“Well you know me, I’m like my mother!”

“So that means ramen to celebrate?” Hinata asked and Naru nodded, walking away with Rama around her shoulders. He seemed to be asleep, but was very much alert, Shukaku had always been a violent one and he wasn’t going to risk Naru around him. Kurama could sense that Shukaku wanted to get at him, and his host was reacting, suspicious of Naru, but not as a jinchuriki. He watned to know why she made such rage boil within him, Kurama felt bad for the host, the pair weren’t a good match, his presence wasn’t helping at all.

  
  


“What’s wrong?” Naru murmured to Kurama as she ran for the Forest of Death after training with ol Jiraya (or as the pair and Kushina called him, ‘Pervy Sage’) for a few weeks.

“Shukaku will try to track me down, don’t stay still for long. His host won’t take it well.” he whispered back to her.

“Got it. So lots of naps with one of us on watch, but no long rests.” he nodded to her as she arrived. Kiba gave her grief for almost being late, but a few minutes later they ran into the forest. They stopped a little ways in and stood in a tree, Naru told them the plan and what Kurama said. He was there to help fight, that was all. Once they were inside he would do very little for them, that was the agreement.

“So how often should we rest?” Kiba asked.

“Well,” Hinata closed her eyes. “There are 24 hours in a day and we need at least 8 hours of sleep but each of us can work with 6 just fine thanks to our training, so we should aim for 1 hour of sleep every three hours, but that wouldn’t work well, we wouldn’t get good sleep that way. I’d say either 2 hours naps every 6 would work better, the best option would be to have 3 hours of sleep every 12 hours.”

“3 hours at once would be best for us, but that long I think is too dangerous, plus going for 2 in 6 hours intervals would mean more sleep overall.” Naru put her input so they agreed on that.

“Good, so how are we going to get an earth scroll?” Hinata asked.

“I can see that it’s got a jutsu in it, but that’s all I can- if the earth jutsu is different I might be able to tell.” she muttered, half to herself and half to her team. They decided to use Rama and Akamaru to take scrolls while they fought the team if Naru couldn’t see the scroll’s difference. Kiba was in charge of food gathering, Naru was on surveillance duty when they were on the move, and Hinata was going to be a huge help when it came down to attacks and surprise attacks between the Getnle Fist style and her own she created under Kakashi’s training.

It worked perfectly the first day, but then it started to go downhill from there, when Rama freaked and said Kiba had encountered the sand genin team. Hinata was told to stay back and get Kiba and Akamaru out of there, Naru would confront the group if needed. They arrived a bit away and Naru succeeded in a breath, Kiba had been dragged from a hiding spot and there was blood on the ground and Akamaru was held in floating sand. “Come on little brother, he hasn’t done anything.” the tallest blonde girl sounds appeasing, but Naru takes a deep breath, motions to Hinata and Rama, who stays in the tree, stands on the side of the tree trunk, and shoots off. Her punch lands just a few inches from Gaara’s head on a block on sand, she wips around still though and kicks, the kick landing even closer to his skin, before darting away, grabbing the dog and her teammate, sparing a glance at the shocked redhead before darting away with Kiba and Akamaru, handing them to Hinata with a silent order to run before jumping back to the tarrifyingly angry Gaara. He’d kill his own siblings if she didn’t do something.

“Enough Gaara of the sand.” she stood and faced the sand siblings, holding her ground. “I am not one to anger nor come after.”

“You-” he didn’t finish whatever he’d started to snarl. “You will die painfully.”

“Let me make this clear Gaara,” she narrowed her eyes as Kurama landed on her shoulders. “Don’t make an emeny of a  _ beast _ stronger than you.” his eyes widened slightly before narrowing.

“What are you implying?” the man, Kankuro, asked, eyeing Naru. “Just cause you're the daughter of the hokage doesn’t mean you can call names.”

“I didn’t call him any name.” she muttered, now confused, entire posture changing. “I said don’t fight me is all, is Gaara not your name?”

“It is his name, but you said ‘beast’.” Temari speaks up carefully.

“Well if you get offended it’s for both of us, I called myself a beast to ya know.” she folded her arms.

**“Brat, enough, we got things to do.”** Kurama grumbled, all of the other three jumped.

“But we’re actually having a civilized conversation now Rama!” Naru exclaimed.

**“I’m your family’s guardian and you’ve got a damn death wish, come on kit.”**

“M not a kit anymore.” she muttered angrily but bowed slightly to the sand sand siblings. “Despite me having to save my best friend, it was nice meeting you all properly.” Naru darted away and focused her chakra to her ears once she was far enough to hear the tean again.

“-on’t think she knows about the sand spirit do you?”  _ Kankuro _

“There’s no way that’s possible, only the sand village knows, and it’s a very close kept secret.”  _ Temari _

“Her father is the hokage, he might know and have told her.”  _ Gaara _

“But he’s an expert in seals, he would have offered to help you if he knew about the sand spirit Gaara, that’s who he is. He sealed the 9 tailed fox away after all, and everyone knows he’s the only seal master right now.”  _ Temari _

“We’re the sand, they’d never help us.”  _ Kankuro _ “bet she knows about Gaara and was told to instigate him or something. Thinks she can get away with it just because she’s the hokage’s daughter or something I bet.” Naru snorts to herself, ‘ _ not even close’ _ is all she thinks before darting away, having Hinata write a note once her team made sure she was fine that she sent to the trio, but only for Gaara’s eyes. Kiba and Hinata thought it was sweet she was reaching out to Gaara, the note was very nice to, Naru blushed but rolled her eyes and Hinata wrote down what she said, word for word.

_ I will tell you that I don’t know if my Dad knows about you being a host Gaara (I apologize, I heard up to Kankuro saying I could do what I did because of who my dad is), but that isn’t why I did what I did. Kiba told me how he saw you kill those other two genin just because you got mad at them, and I’ll say that I might’ve ended up like you. If my parents hadn’t survived the 6 tail’s attack (which they nearly didn’t), I’d be an orphan and probably hated by everyone in Konoha. You cannot tell anyone, not your siblings, no one, but I’m just like you. You hold the ‘sand spirit’ the One Tail, Shukaku, within you, and I hold the fox that escaped its prison within my mother when I was born. Kurama has done much for me and we’re a good match, we’ve learned to get along, it’s why he’s stayed in a physical form as my protector all these years. But the problem is not everyone is compatible with a tailed beast, I don’t know who placed Shukaku in you or when, but you two aren’t a good match, it’s why you haven’t been able to sense that I’m also a jinchuriki where I have. I’m sure that the bad match had done horrible things to your psyche, but there are ways to try and help yourself and Shukaku since you’re stuck together until you die. We could talk more in person I think, but we’d have to be caureful to avoid my mother-  _ _ stop laughing Kiba, that’s not-DON’T WRITE THAT DOWN HINATA! ugh _ _ or she’d go ballistic that I’m spending time with a BOY other than Kiba. I can tell you that the reason why I’m not the one writing this is that my handwriting is absolutely illegible at the best of times, but I do love to talk. And that’s basically why I said what I did, I’ve played the ‘Hokage’s daughter’ card twice in my life, and both times it was very drastic, but I didn’t want you thinking that I’m a little twat who does that, I was playing a card I’ve never been able to before (it was actually kind of fun, sorry to say, but it was!), the ‘I’m the nine tails host so don’t try it’ card. Aka, I have seniority over you! So stop trying to fight my team. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Naru Uzumaki _

_ PS - I have a special ability that allows me to see life chakra, yours is very pretty, your personal chakra is red, but Shukaku’s is tan and purple that’s bled into yours, it’s very pretty. You can tell you siblings this part and stuff and that your older sister is very pretty, green and blue and white. Kankuro is just white and purple, personally I like Hinata’s purple’s better, but eh. _

Naru sent it off and ignored the snickering from her team, rolling her eyes. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Laugh it up, just wait until I’ve got a friend in the most emotionally and mentally unstable and powerful sand ninja ever.” she huffed, grinning at her friends proudly.

“Yeah? How’re you gonna gain his trust if that’s true then?”

“By being honest. Rama was as nasty as Shukaku from what I’ve heard, it took time for him to be nice to anyone other than me, and even then he’d snap sometimes and nip me a bit too hard. He’ll still bite Dad after all.”

**“I don’t hate most people now but he’s the Sealing Master after all, can’t make his job too easy.”** the fox huffed from where he was laying in the branches of the tree they were hiding around. He picked up his head and yipped, Naru darting off in the direction with the order to stay put. She darted after the fox and froze at the sight of the giant snake slithering throught the forest and narrowed her eyes,  _ Orochimaru. _ She twisted her mark and, letting Kurama have six tails, he attacked the snake and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. A summon, meaning the bastard was already gone. Once more with one tail, Kurama landed and sat in Naru’s arms this time, licking one of his paws.

**“I’ll be okay, but I won’t be of much help for the next few days, it got me with it’s poison.”** he muttered.

“Don’t worry, you just rest.” she jumped quickly through where he’d come and found Sakura struggling with Sasuke and Shino, who were both wounded and unconscious. “Sakura.” she jumped but tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of Naru. “Can you still tree jump?” the pinkette nodded. “Good, carry Rama for me please, my team will help yours.”

“But-”

“No buts, you’ll be fine after tonight and you can continue like normal.” Sakura didn’t protest this time, holding the fox while Naru took Sasuke in a fire-nin hold and took Shino under her arm not holding Sasuke, they went to Naru’s camp where she and Hinata let Sakura rest while taking care of Shino and Sasuke. She made a mental note to have her dad look at the strange chakra mark on Sasuke that reeked of evil and darkness, she had no doubt that it was Orochimaru’s doing but what it was for she didn’t know. Shino recovered somewhat quickly and only had a minor headache to show for the skirmish they had. In thanks, he and Sakura left the next morning to find a sky scroll for Naru’s team as thanks, Sasuke woke up later and Naru quickly punched him into unconscoousness again, the mark was active and she didn’t like it, Kiba and Hinata didn’t mention that to Sakura or Shino, but he woke up not along after they got back with a scroll, covered in wounds and most of Sakura’s hair was gone, but they had the scroll. Apparently they got it from the sound ninja’s team, which was why the two were so beat up, (as it turned out, even Lee had tried to help them and got hurt in the process) but they were successful and a normal Sasuke was awake, so Naru’s team left for the building in the center.


	4. In Which There is Bonding of Similar Beings

Kurama was still unconscious and hot when they arrived a the building and passed, it was Kakashi who greeted them and gave them well done’s, which was great, Kakashi didn’t often hand out compliments towards their performance, so it was a treat when he did, but Naru was muted. She got some medicine from Kakashi for him and was alone with Kurama resting on her lap when a tendril of what looked like a mass of yellow-tan and felt like sand landed on her leg. She took the rolled up paper that was placed in her hand and looked around petting Kurama as she spied Gaara two stories above her and watching her carefully from over his shoulder. She gave him a little wave and jerked her head in a gesture to come down. He disappeared but she saw him standing out of sight of most people the the side. So she stood and walked towards him. “There’s still five days left so it’s pretty empty here, but my room is on the fourth floor, ninth door down if you want to talk privately.” she whispered as she walked past, headed for Hinata’s room to have her read the letter to her before going to her own. She found a small line of sand at the edge of it, so she poked it and it recoiled. It made her giggle, but she waved down the hall and left her door a bit open. Gaara slipped in through the wooden door as she was giving Kurama some medicine, pusing in her apologetic murmurs.

“I’ve never felt Shukaku so amused, but when he saw how weak yours is, he thinks it’s funny.”

**“Bastard would, but giant snake venom is no laughin’ matter.”** Kurama muttered weakly, opening one eye to look at Gaara, Naru tapped his maw.

“Now be nice, he’s all tense and just wants some sleep, leave Gaara alone.”

**“Go on, I’ll be fine, m’ feelin better today anyways.”** Kurama muttered, he stumbled when he jumped off the table, but went and laid down on a pillow and fell asleep.

“Would you like to stay here or go to your room and talk? Wherever you're more comfortable.” she smiled gently at him. He sat down in answer, so she threw him a pillow to sit on. 

“Well, I’m guessing from your letter back, that the best thing for me to tell you are three things, firstly, it would be better for you to talk to Rin Nohara, she’s got the three tail and it took them several years to  _ make _ themselves compatible enough that it didn’t affect them in a negative way. The second one is that you need to find something to focus yourself, a simple repetitive task that will center your mind on something other than death, and the last is to find some other goal or reason to live than killing others.” Naru counted off her fingers, and even with how fuzzy expressions were with her plus Gaara’s either angry or emotionless mask, she could sense his confusion. “What?”

“ . . . not sleep? Don’t talk to you? I’m not talking to anyone else, I’m still unsure if I’ll kill you or not.” he huffed.

“Would you rather continue writing letters?” Naru asked gently. “The best way to get through this, in my honest opinion, is whatever makes you feel safest.”

“I am safe, my sand-”

“Protects you yes, but your sand only physically protects you. When was the last time you felt warmth in your chest that wasn’t from the heat?” Gaara was taken aback and she smiled sadly. “You poor things, who did this to you two?” she murmured sadly, tensing when Gaara growled angrily at her.

“Don’t pity me, I've managed this long without it!” his sand shifted and Kurama growled a bit.

**“Give the brat a break for half an hour Shukaku and listen, the kit’s smart and you’ll both feel better and have more freedom if you’d do that.”** he huffed sitting up and glaring at Gaara, whos sand slowly fell back into his gourd as he blinked, physically relaxing.

“How-?” Naru couldn’t help giggling, Gaara was at a loss without Shukaku’s struggling.

“Come here Gaara, Rin has a habit of doing things that helped her with me.” Naru got up and grabbed a hair brush, letting Gaara come to her and sit in front of her.

She brushed his hair while talking, not about anything really, just some random things. She talked about how her mom would get mad and her hair would float in chunks and wave like tails, but she’s brush Naru’s hair as night and just talk to her about the hardships of being a jinchuriki. That her dad would flash in and out of rooms when he was deep in research and be oblivious to the bolts of panic fear and chaos that often caused, that she loved to eat ramen and despite being the nine tails, Kurama loved to be groomed and pampered. Kiba was hard headed but really soft and kind with his friend and with animals, that he’d trace her soul mark on her back to calm her down and help her relax if she was stressed. That Hinata really wanted to become hokage instead of head of the Hyuuga clan but her Father was pressuring her and caused her shyness and that she cared deeply for her cousin Neji who she believed hated her. That Rin and Obito and Kakashi were super fun and cool and silly, and people believed that Obito would become hokage after her dad. Rin had the three tails Isobu and they weren’t the best match but she tried to learn what Isobu liked and made friends with him since they were stuck together. She stopped when Gaara slumped some, breathing deep, though not entirely asleep. So she silently got Kurama to pull more pillows over and laid his head down in her lap, half curled around Gaara and she found herself playing with her red hair with one hand as she put her head down and fell asleep.

She woke up when the soft but hard surface under her jolted and she grumbled, rubbing an eye as she opened her eyes, blinking blearily at Gaara, who was frozen, unsure. “S’wrong?” 

“You’re uh-” she then also realized and sat up quickly, blushing. She’d moved off her arm in her sleep and her head had bene resting on Gaara’s stomach. 

“W-well, I mean you were on my lap, so it’s not that different right?” she laughed nervously before handing her head. “Sorry.”

“I haven’t had that much good sleep before, not in a long time at least.” Gaara murmured quietly. “I’ll try to do things to appease Shukaku.”

“Confiding in others helps too, I talk to my mom, Rin had Kakashi and Obito, trust your siblings is my las advice, and I hope your mind heals some soon.” he nodded and taking his gourd again, he slipped from her room. She got up and picked up Kurama, glaring at him lightly. “Alright Rama, you’re basically fine now, so what was that act back there?” he rolls his eyes at her.

**“I was mentlally keeping Shukaku quiet so he’d also listen to you. By the way, you weren’t just on his stomach, since you didn’t notice I’ll tell you that he had a soul mark on his left thigh.”** her hands flew to her cheeks and she dropped Kurama, face bright red.

“Oh my god.” she covered her face, whining as the fox snickered at her. “That’s so embarrassing.” she whined, falling to her knees. “I need to apologize, I can’t believe I did that. Why didn’t to tell me?” 

**“Would’ve woken you both up if I did.”** he snorted, tail waving in the air.  **“But I’m not quite totally recovered.”**

“Right, right, medicine.” Naru was in a daze, seeing others soul marks or touching them, even through clothes, was really intimate, and considering she and Gaara weren’t even friends it was very much inappropriate. But then again, he didn’t push her off or get mad, so maybe that menat they were friends. She realized, getting a small smile as she wandered the halls later towards Kiba’s room.

She wouldn’t say why she needed him to trace her mark, she was still a bit stressed by what happened after all and if he would avoid her now, but the feel of the trace was familiar and soothing. He traced her back silently as Hinata read a book to them outloud. It was normal for them, domestic. Kiba tracing Naru’s soul mark relaxed Naru and would give Hinata back massages, Hinata read to them since Naru couldn’t read and Kiba didn’t like to but they enjoyed the stories, and Naru would every once in a while play with the stands of their chakra to calm them or cheer them up. It was hard for her to do, but over time she learned how to almost literally play them like an instrument. In turn, she also learned to play guitar, which she did much more often than the chakra picking and enjoyed. They did some training of course, but mostly made sure they were healed and ready for the fights now in three days. She wished she had her guitar, but for now she kept an eye out for a trail of sand signalling that Gaara wanted to have his hair brushed which would also result in her letting him sleep on her lap for a couple hours. It happened twice more and she just talked, he listened silently but she didn’t mind, he’d open up when he was ready.

The 10th day was almost that day, he asked her about seemingly random things that weren’t random at all, what different emotions felt like and her ability to see life chakra mostly, though emotions was how it started. “How would you describe loneliness?” that caused her motions to stutter for a moment.

“Well, it’s like being in a lake in the night. It's cold and you want to hold yourself and feel the warmth of the sun but it's dark and you can’t tell which way is out of the water unless someone helps, but you can’t scream for help or else you’ll breath in water and lose yourself completely. It feels like your drowning and there’s nothing you can do about it.” her voice was quiet and somber. Gaara hummed.

“So what would you call happiness?”

“Hmm, a picnic in a field on a spring day. The feeling of the sun on your skin but it’s not blazing hot, there’s grass underneath you but you can smell your favorite foods and your chest soaks up the warth of everything around you and you feel like you could soar with the bright feeling bubbling in your chest.”

“I live in the desert, I don’t know that feeling well, but the time before the sun gets too hot in the early morning sounds a lot like that.” Gaara murmured. “What would you call sadness or rage?”

“Sadness is sitting outside in late fall in the rain, alone. It’s very closely related to the feeling of loneliness, but it’s less that you’re drowning and more that every drop of water that touches you burns like ice and only grows heavier with each drop it pushes you down and causes you to stumble, blocks your vision so you can’t tell how to find that sunny park and picnic that made you happy and eventually you want to just give up and sit there until the rain washes you away. And rage? Rage is not anger, it’s more extreme. Rage is feeling the grit of sand in your clothes and tasting it in your mouth in between your teeth while the sun beats you down and you want nothing more than to fight and destroy everything around you until it no longer hurts. It’s feeling the rain of sadness bearing down on you from within but hiding behind a bright hot sun that no one dares touch and pummeling anything that makes you taste that sand again so far into the ground you forget where six feet was.”

“That I know all too well, rain not so much.” Naru huffed an amused breath. “What about fear?”

“Fear wow, ok, that’s so many things. It’s drowning and feeling like your heart will beat out of your chest, like your vision may go dark and everything is messy. You want to run and run and find someplace sunny where you can hide from the tendrils chasing you can’t go. They grab at your ankles and try to pull you back into the shadows and cause you to freeze and you’re shaking and you want to run but you can’t because you're terrified. It’s-” she pauses, closing her eyes “it’s losing control and breaking and your chest feels tight but there’s nothing you can do about it because you can barely breathe.” her voice was quiet, she knew she sounded scared, but that was what it took to describe fear, to feel it.

“That sounds a lot like anger and sadness.”

“A lot of emotions have others intertwined with it. Any others you want me to tell you about?”

“ . . . kindness?”

“That’s an interesting emotion, it’s more of a trait, but I can tell you to recognize kindness.” he nodded, moving to sit on his pillow behind her with the hair brush for the first time. “It’s gentleness and soft touches and sweet words, its please and thank yous and the little things in life.”

“Like grains of sand?” Gaara asked and Naru laughed. 

“No, not literally. The little things are like this, talking for no reason about random things and bruhs each tohers hair and buying someone you don’t know food because they don’t have money but they want that bowl of ramen.”

“So metaphorical small things?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok . . . what does pain feel like?” Gaara grew quiet and Naru hummed.

“Well, there are different kinds, physical pain I can really explain, but emotional pain, well that can hurt more than the worst physical pain.”

“Like how? I was once told it’s like a hole in your chest.”

“Well yes, but sometimes it can be worse. Like, if someone you trust and care about turns on you it can feel like your heart is being pulled from your chest. It's wrenching and makes you want to wrap your arms around yourself just to make sure you’re not falling apart like the way it feels you are. It’s terrifying because afterwards you feel like you’ll never be the same again and that hold will never fill and it’ll leave you vulnerable forever . . . but i think that’s why people feel love, to combat pain and sorrow and loneliness.” Naru smiled to herself, letting Gaara run her soft brush through her blonde hair.

“Love?”

“It makes the hole go away.” his hand stops suddenly for a moment, but he keeps brushing again when she keeps talking. “There’s different types of love, but the feeling of it at its base is the same. It’s the warmth of happiness swell in you so that you feel it in your whole body just by seeing that one person you love so much, affection and kindness towards them bubbles and boils over so much and you don’t want anything to hurt them and when they’re hurt you're hurting too. When something hurts them you’re filled with rage and you want to destroy what hurt them, but you just can’t leave them to do that, you can’t leave them alone because you care so the rage leaves and only sorrow and love fill its place. Love is so many things, it’s looking forward to the little things and wanting to be with the person you love all the time, but when they want to be alone you let them because love also means letting go sometimes. Sometimes that’s temporary and other times it’s not and it might hurt but you love them too much to let your own love hurt them.” Naru hadn’t even noticed that Gaara had stopped brushing her hair. She started to turn around but stopped when a gentle hand touched her shoulder before pulling back, he tried again and it moved towards her front but her darted away and she stood up with Gaara.

“You describe these feelings very vividly, you know them well?” he asks while putting her hair brush on her table.

“Of course, I have it easier than you, besides us getting along, the Uzumaki bloodline works very well with Kurama, so we're a good match. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t struggled. I see in chakra, so things without chakra I don’t see and things that are uniform terrify me. Water and sand are two of my biggest fears.” Gaara stiffened in front of her but Naru just smiled at him a bit. “You really think I’d be doing this if I was scared of you Gaara? You’re my friend.”

“Why? Everyone else does.” he muttered bitterly, looking away.

“Well I don’t, you attack when provoked sure, but at it’s base, your sand protects you doesn’t it? Meaning that it’s nature is to protect. You’ve yet to use it since the first time you came to my room, and I trust you. I trust all my friends.”

“You keep calling me that, but I don’t have any.” she frowned at his words.

“But you do, I’d only call you my friend if it were true Gaara. I’m still scared of sand, but not you or your sand because I trust you with my life, same as all my other friends.” his breath caught and Gaara froze, so Naru stopped. “Gaara, you do have friends, or at least people who want to be friends. Kankuro and Temari, they try, I can see that they want to be close, to really be some sort of family with you, but you don’t let them. Give them a chance to get close, Temari can brush your hair and they can both talk to you.” he looks at her, considering her honest words, and so she staps close carefully and puts her arms out. “Can I hug you?” he nods after a minute so she hugs the taller young man. He relaxes into the hug some and carefully wraps his arms around her, letting his head drop.

“Th-” he stops, jaw snapping shut. 

“You don’t have to talk, you’re hurting Gaara and that’ll take time to heal. Just- try. Try to hela your bonds with Temari and Kankuro, they’ll be your greatest allies in the future.” he nodded almost to himself before leaving, giving a small wave and she almost misses the murmur of “thank you” as he leaves, but it makes her smile brightly.

**“Who knew you talking like your dad would do the kid so much good.”** Kurama snorted as he crawled out from under Naru’s bedding.

“I talk like that too in case you didn’t notice, Dad’s just more eloquent than Mom a lot of the time.” Naru rolled her eyes, going to lay on her bed with her eyes closed, feeling strangely giddy.  _ ‘He’s finally letting me in.’ _ she thought, happy that she was actually able to help.


	5. Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates, You're Gonna Get Chocolate

The next day she lined up with everyone else and had to go stand above with her team, waiting for her turn to fight. Sasuke fought a ninja named Yoroi, and Sasuke was strange, Naru believed it to be the mark. When Minato looked at her she rubbed where his mark was and he turned back to the match, it was all he needed to know for now. Then came Shino versus one of the sound ninja, Zaku, and Shino’s bugs helped him win in an easy landslide. Kankuro beat Yoroi’s teammate Misumi after revealing the person he’d been fighting to be the puppet. Naru scrunched her nose, she hated puppet master ninja, the strings were too thin for her to see on the best of days. Then Sakura had to fight Ino, and  _ that _ was an interesting fight, Naru snickered when Sakura got out of Ino’s justu, she had an innerself.

**“She should be glad that wasn’t us.”** Rama huffed in her ear, Naru had to bite back laughs at that. It ended in a tie so neither girl would go through to the finals, then Kiba nudged Naru, she was up, and according to what was murmured in her ear, she was fighting Tenten.

“TenTen will beat Naru, for sure Kakashi.” she heard Guy brag, and Kakashi only huffed out a quiet amused breath.

“She’s Kushina and Minato’s daughter and I’ve been training her for years, don’t count her out her just yet, Guy.” it made her smile, so she skipped out with a smile and she could feel the smirk coming from her dad and Kurama on her shoulder. After all, they both knew that she was most dangerous when she was being childish and cheeky.

“I hope we have a good match.” she smiled at Tenten, who nodded back.

“So do I, just so you know though, I’m not going to go easy on you.”

“Go . . . easy?” she leaned around to look at her dad. “Hey dad, what’s that?” Kakashi snorted and Kiba started laughing, even Hinata was giggling.

“Naru don’t be sassy, match begin!” Minato called and Naru quickly disappeared and the kunai that was headed for her landed in the ground, Kurama licking one paw on the handle of it. Tenten looked around but was surprised that she couldn’t see the blonde girl.

“She’s right there Tenten!” Lee shouted but he couldn’t point. 

“Well it’s the chunin exams, I gotta pull out all the stops, right?” she giggled, poking Tenten on the forehea and causing her to stumble back, able to see Naru again.

“We’re you right there the whole time?” Tenten muttered, shocked.

“Maaaybe.” Naru smiled, mouth closed, and closed her eyes half way, she looked lethal. She leaned forwards and curled one finger in a ‘come hither’ motion at Tenten, Minato facepalmed with an exastarted sigh, but Tenten opened a scroll and threw a number of weapons at Naru, who stood there then disappeared. No log showing she switched, she was just gone. Tenten whipped aorund again and found Naru standing upside down around under the metal above her watching silently, one hand holding her jacket in place and the other under the jacket. She jumped down and landed on the ground to avoid two demon wind shuriken, facing the wall away from Tenten. She fell on her front when two kunai sank into her right calf and right shoulder.

Not even her knees, just straight up falls flat onto her face. “Ugh, Rama!” she yelled, not even trying to move but voice muffled due to being on her nose. Tenten jumped to avoid being pouched on the giant fox everyone had forgotten about, he was larger than the humans with his long tail waving around and over Naru as he backed up, he batted the weapons she threw at him away and kept low to the ground, so she got closer. Then Naru used the collar around his neck to wip from under him and used the momentum to throw herself feet first at Tenten, jacket thrown first to block Tenten’s vision of her. She grabbed the surprised kunoichi’s shoulders, wrapped herself around the back girl’s back as the jacket was pulled off of Tenten’s head, legs hooked over Tenten’s shoulders around her arms, Naru hooked her ankles together severely limiting Tenten’s movement and tenten froze when Naru grabbed her head and under her chin. The whole series of movement from appearing from under Kurama to halting Tenten in her tracks took only a couple moments and left everyone silent with shock. Naru was silent and didn’t mvoe Tenten’s head but for holding it still, waiting. “You didn’t teach her that, did you Kakashi?” Guy asked.

“Nope.” he muttered, just as surprised but feeling quite proud. “Seems Rin and Kushina have been showing her some moves.” he murmured, quiet.

“So cool.” Hinata found herself murmuring, eyes wide.

“Not going to surrender Tenten? Not gonna give up or try to throw me off?” Naru asks, leaning forwards and grabbing one of Tenten’s buns, pressing a kunai to her throat. “If I were an enemy you’d be dead two times over by now, and that’s without Rama’s help in taking you out.” throw the kunai to the side as Tenten picked up one foot, Naru bent backwards, sending Tenten down with her and as soon as Naru’s hands hit the ground she used her legs to pull Tenten up and over her, untwisting her legs last minute to slam Tenten into the ground. 

When the dust cleared Naru was panting and kneeling on Tenten’s back, head down. She sighed out and waited, grunting as she stood and Tenten was very much unconscious. Naru was announced the winner and nodded almost like she was dazed, appearing next to her jonin sensei with Kurama in her arms, sitting down at the edge of the metal. “So how long have you known how to use your Dad’s flying thunder?” Kakashi asked quietly as Shikamaru and Kin went down for their match.

“Long enough.” Naru answered. “I can barely stand, she’s good, she nearly hit two of my major blood vessels.” Naru laughed a bit, a quiet way of saying she could barely see and the kunai’s had taken out some vision points.

“Have Hinata look at them.”

“No, it’s less cool if I have to get my wounds treated.” Naru smiled as she pet the fox in her lap, Kakashi hung his head, sighing out. Across from Team 7, the sand siblings and their sensei stared in shock.

“The daughter of the Hokage was certainly a force to reckon with.” she heard their sensei mutter. Her vision didn’t return much by the time Shikamaru beat Kin as he’d planned, and Kiba was next, but Naru sat there calmly, upset that Temari beat Kiba, but overall was proud of how far he and Akamaru had come in recent months. Next came Hinata, who for the first time in a while, had to fight Neji, Naru stood and whistled sharply and before she went down, Hinata came and stood in front of her blonde friend. Naru stood close and hit their foreheads together.

“Son of a fuckin bitch.” Hinata whisperedunder her breath as she stumbled back and held the small bleeding spot, but Naru was smirking, Hinata was glaring at her she could tell, that meant she was mad and wouldn’t hold back.

Naru could see this match a bit better, there was a lot of chakra in use in their bodies and Hinata used her different training to good use, dancing around Neji almost literally. She didn’t wear regular shoes, hers were specially made ones that were also ballet slippers but as sturdy as any other ninja’s shoes. She managed to get in a few hits to hit chakra points, but he got her worse and in the end Neji stood triumphant, but Naru, instead of the medical ninja taking Hinata, a large Kurama picked her up gently and took her up the stands, keeping her under his tail as Naru nodded at him appreciatively. The ninth and second to last match was Rock Lee versus Gaara, and Naru was conflicted. She very much wanted to cheer Gaara on, they were closer than she was with Lee, but the way he fought still was too bloodthirsty, so she kept herself from cheering either on, neutral. Her jaw tensed throughout the match though, her vision was mostly back so she could see how the pair struggled and Lee broke several gates to get to Gaara, and Gaara lost himself to Shukaku again. The match finally ended and Naru saw Gaara wouldn’t stop, so while Guy tried to intervene, he found that Naru was standing in front of Lee already. Behind Gaara, Naru saw that her dad was tensed and ready to gether out of there, but she stayed relaxed and waited. Gaara’s sand had shot forwards, but slowed and stopped at it hit her, not hard enough to even push her over. He panted as Guy let the medical nin take Lee, not breaking eye contact with Naru before standing up straight and his hands were in fists, then they relaxed and he reached up and grabbed his clothes over her heart.

“You were right, it’s tight and my heart was beating very fast. I’ve only felt that when I’m by myself before.” he murmured and Naru gave him a sad smile.

“That is something I completely understand.”

“Also,” she turned her head to the side, curious. “I- . . . look forward to your kindness again.” he bowed his head politely, but to her she saw that his core also shifted, it was a sign of thanks and respect from a jinchuriki and their beast, and that’s a very very rare thing to recieve. She smiled wider and Kurama jumped to her shoulder, they both bowed back, accepting the thanks. Naru found herself snickering at the looks his siblings gave her, as well as the jonin, it was extremely entertaning.

The students who passed would be moving into a compound together with their teams and the others who would be participating in the final for the next month in two days, so Minato sent them all off to gather their belongings for the month into a duffle bag. Naru walked home with her dad, they were silent until they were mostly alone, at least separated from all the other contestants. “So what did you do that got the bloodthirsty Gaara to so deeply respect you?” he asked simply, as if speaking about the weather.

“Brushed his hair some, gave him some tips on how to try and make their incompatible hosting a bit better for both of them, got him asleep in my lap a number of times, talked to him about everything and nothing, made an impossible friend, the usual.” she shrugged and he sighed, chuckling.

“And what does this mean?”

“We’re going hairbrush shopping, a gift to leave in his room when he gets there.”

“With? I know you want to do more than that.”

“Get him a letter from Rin about what he might be able to do to help his honestly horribly mental state, something that smells good to ground him in his panic attacks, maybe suggest he seek out Tsunade.”

“And?”

“Ramen.” he sighed heavily, hanging his head. “What?”

“What is it with you two and your ramen?” he whined, “that’s not a good meal.” he cried, head in his hands. Naru only laughed at him and kept walking towards her house. Her dad already knew about Sasuke’s mark and had Kakashi seal it, his own work would be recognized to eaily if and when Orochimaru checked up on Sasuke, so Kakashi did it.

The next day Naru found herself out on the town with her parents, shopping to make a gift basket for Gaara. Minato (to his annoyance, chagrin, and displeasure) was getting ramen for Gaara while they went into a shop and Kushina handed brushes to Naru to examine as best she could with her eyes and hands after they’d all gone to get oils. The first one had hard bristles and there weren’t that many. “One more like mine, but sturdier I think would be good, he’s got a lot of grit in his hair. He got it out the first time himself using his jutsu, but I don’t want him brushing sand into his hair.”

“Oh, good point. Let’s see, what about this one then?” Naru took the brush and felt it. lot s of small brussels and it was soft, but felt stronger than hers. The shopkeeper said it was made from feather shafts at it’s base for strength and giant panda bristles, differing from her horse hair one. The brush’s design was hard for her to see, but it was plain and a bit girly, so Kushina took it home and fixed it up. The pale blue outer edge she covered in gold leaf that was glued onto it, she took the fake stones from it’s back, carefully painted a raccoon tail on the white brush back and handle, and then put one red ruby jewel into place on it and the other two she made the color of Gaara’s eyes. Naru still couldn’t see it well, but Kushina was proud and put it in a nice brown box that they got that she took care of with some wood stain. The rest of the things and the ramen were placed in a basket by Kushina, a picnic one, and at the bottom was a note from Rin with a blanket, and attached to the inside lid was a note she wrote for Naru.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this set up? It’s tradition but-”

“Dad, it would give away that somethings wrong or that I’m a brat who can get what she wants if I don’t spend the month there, I’m sharing a room with Kiba, I’ll be fine!” she instsited for the last time the next day, suitcase in hand and basket with a red, blue, and tan braid of ribbon around the handle over her left arm.

“She’s our daughter and has Rama with her, she’ll be fine.” Kushina smiled before it grows and she cracks her knuckles, hair floating. “And if something happens they’ll all have to answer to me.”

“Moooooom.” Naru groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation.

**“The kit has me and the other two kits, she’ll be fine. And if you want a piece of whoever caused trouble you better be fast or I’ll eat them before you get there.”** Rama snorted from where he sat on her suitcase and Naru whimpered. 

“Rama not you too!!”

“Minato, off you go, or you’ll be late, we’ll see you there.” Minato sighed but flashed away and the trio left to set out from the house on foot.

“So do you think he’ll like the scents?” Naru asked nervously. They’d had no idea what Gaara liked, but they got three small bottles of different scented hair oils, one was a light floral scent that smelled of spring that made Naru think of how she described happiness. The second was the smell of rain in essence, which, sense he lived in the desert, might be a scent he liked. The last was one of Naru’s favorite smells, woodsmoke and chocolate, the label said ‘Holiday Cheer’ and it filled Naru with joy smelling it. To her she related the smell to cuddling on the couch with her parents as Minato read them a book with a hot mug of cocoa in her hands.

“I’m sure he’ll like at least one of them darling.” Kushina smiled a ther daughter. 

  
  


“So, hair brushing? Why has that become your thing with this boy?”

“Yeah, it seems like Shukaku likes it, and it centers him, he has to focus on the feeling. I’d like him to reach out to his sister so that she’ll brush his hair if he starts having a panic attack or something.”

“You are so sweet and kind to other people.” Kushina gushes, hugging Naru tight to her side. Naru blushed but pushed her mother off of her, smiling a bit. “So go over everything that was supposed to be in the basket.”

“Three scented hair oils.” 

“Yep.” with each thing, Kushina would say yes that she packed it. 

“Blanket. Ramen. Letter from Rin. Hairbrush. My letter. Chocolate bars.” Naru froze when Kushina sucked in a breath.

“How many kinds were there?”

“A box of assorted chocolates, and three bars, one dark, one milk, one white.”

“I didn’t pack the bars.” she muttered and Naru gave a whimpering laugh. “Keep walking, I’ll see you there.” she gave the suitcas over, grabbed her fox, and flashed towards the house, landing inside her bedroom. Kurama got the bars off the counter and handed them to her, so she focused on her mother’s signature and flashed over there. Tripping as she did so, Naru yelped, but a hand unde there helped her stand up.

“Obito?” 

“Yep, some jonin are at the house to keep an eye on you brats, I’m one of them.” he ruffled her short hair, and she smiled, happy. “Those for me?” he asked teasingly. She pulled the chocolate away from him and stuck her tongue out at him.

“No, they’re for a friend!”

“I’m a friend.”

“You're a baby.”

“Sitter?”

“No, that’s Rin and Kakashi.” she smirks as he holds his chest, wounded at her words and pulls her into a noogie in retaliation. Kushia just laughed until Naru got free, taking the chocolate and placing it in the basket that she handed back to Naru. They headed for the building with Obito, Hinata and Kiba joining their traveling party a bit closer, and the other two tried to figure out what she had in the basket.

“Taking cookies to grandma?”

“Not unless you’re coming to my cabin in the wood with me Kiba.” she grinned at him.

“Nuh uh! I’d like to stay alive thank you very much!” he huffed.

“Would you like to come to grandmother’s cottage in the forest with me, Hinata?” Naru asked innocently, getting a giggle in return. Kiba and Naru bickered all the way there, which was normal for them, banter and things.

“Son of a-”

“Language!” Kushina interrupted Naru.

“But I forgot my guitar! Dad borrowed it and it’s still in his workroom!” she exclaimed. 

“Let’s keep going, I’ll handle it.” Kushina sighed, going ahead and they found her husband cowering from his wife who was pointing in the direction of his office. He flashed away, surprising the others present, and even more so when he appeared with a guitar. Naru hugged him happily, slinging the instrument over her shoulder on its strap.

“Sensei! I can’t believe you stole your daughter’s favorite guitar!” Rin exclaimed from over by Kurenai, Minato glared at her.

“I did not steal it, she knew I had it.” he deadpans.

“But you had it a lot longer than you said Dad.” she whined at him, playing the victim card. “And since you had my guitar and said you were trying to learn to play by yourself I didn’t ask for it back and almost forgot it!” Obito pulled out a kunai and leaned over by Naru as Minato hung his head in defeat.

“How’s it feel, Naru, to once more defeat your Dad, the great fourth hokage?”

“Normal.” she smiled and he bursts into laughter. Naru hears others who know their antics well laughing, but a sharp snort from Gaara grabs her attention quickly.

“Alright, everyone line up, the tema member going through to the next round at the front.” Minato claps his hands, getting everyones attention. Once the teams are lined up he smiles and nods. “Good, so there will be five jonin in the compound with you, some of my best. This is Rin, Obito, Kurenai, Guy, and Kushina.” Naru blinked, she didn’t know when her mom had changed into work clothes, but the red head was indeed in the line of jonin. “They’ll be making sure rules are enforced and breaking up and fights that happen. Please follow me and I’ll tell you all the rules and where each of you will be staying.” they started to follow Minato, but first their bags were placed on a cart, Kakashi gave her an eye smile and a wink, he knew where the basket was going. Most of them would group in singular rooms, but some of them were going to be doubled up with someone. The people doubled up were Naru and Kiba, Tenten and Temari, Lee and Shikamaru, and Sakura and Ino. The rest each had their own room. A few hours later, Naru got into her room and saw her small suitcase she could see on the bed, Kiba going and flopping down on his bed with a groan.

“That took forever!” Akamaur yipped his agreement. Naru just rolled her eyes and set her suitcase to the side, taking her guitar off and changing her clothes, knowing Kiba had his eyes closed. In baggy pants that she was told were as red as her mother’s chakra, and a net shirt with black around her chest, she headed for the training room withou Kurama. Finding a punching bag, Naru let herself sweat and her mind wander as she punched and kicked it. She only snapped out of her training trance when the bag in front of her snapped and landed on the ground in front of her, half of it at least. While panting and staring down at the fuzzy shape of the pale color that contrasted to the dark wood floor, she realized she wasn’t alone. By the smell, it was Temari.

“Can I help you?”

“Uh, you just tore through that.” she murmured.

“Yes?”

“ . . . I get the feeling that the reason Gaara has been more reasonable since the forest of death is because of you.”

“But I told you,” Naru gave her a wry smile. “I’m like him, just stronger.”

“I’ve . . . realized, I think I knew just didn’t want to admit it. But how- he’s never let anyone close.”  _ ‘ah, so Temari was confused is all, she wants to know how to help Gaara too’  _ Naru realized.

“Well-”

“You should take care of your hands.” Temari suddenly says, Naru looks at her hands and realizes that her fists are bleeding. “I can bandage them if you need me too.”

“Nah, this is kind of a common occurrence, I jsut lose track of everything until whatever I’m punching breaks.” Naru proceeds to lick the blood from her knuckles. “Anyways, the best thing you can do it not question him in the strange things. Carefully and gently redirect his attention to something else if he’s in a rage, but if he comes to you, well he’s me friend, and all I did was do what he asked and just talked.”

“About what?”

“What he asked, before that about everything and nothing, it doesn’t matter. Tell Kankuro too, just be a steady presence he can come to rely on.” Naru stepped closer, voice dropping low. “Shukaku and him are a compatible match but they can’t be separated or Gaara will die. His mind is fragile due to a number of things, all coming from the fact that they don’t pair well, be gentle, I don’t know what will do it, but if you can’t hep start healing his mind he’ll snap and he won’t ever be the same. He’ll either lose himself to Shukaku or he’ll become destructive, whether that means he kills himself or everything around him depends on him, but I’ve started him off on a better path for both him and Shukaku, but you two need to help him along it. It’s not a journey he can make on his own, but one he needs help to be guided down.” Temari’s expression turned sad, but hopeful.

“My baby brother, do you mean that I might get him back?”

“Yeah, just be happy that help didn’t come too late. You and Kankuro have tried, he’s just afraid. He needed someone like him to start him off, but I thik he’ll open up to you two soon.” with that Naru left, temari giving her a small thanks as she did. 

Once she was gone, Naru hissed in pain, licking her knuckles again. Her hands and arms were sore, skin raw, and they hadn’t stopped bleeding yet. She yelped when she went down, but looked down and found sand tried around her legs and it kept her head from hitting the floor hard. “Do you need something Gaara?” she said quietly, voice carefully even. He only turned away, unfolding his arms, and dragged through the hallways. “You should let me go.”

“I could smell your blood as soon as I left my room, you’re clearly not going to get help.” she smiled a bit and awed.

“So you do care, how nice.”

“You said you trust me, and- from what I’ve seen and heard, friends take care of each other.” his voice was carefully quiet, just loud enough for her heightened senses to hear. She smiled and laided her head down, but grunted when she realized again that she was being dragged feet first and started grumbling profanities until she heard Obito walking nearby and she was picked up and thrown by the sand. Obito barely caught her and himself, surprised.

“Since when can you-NARU!” he threw her over her shoulder and she glared at the mostly hidden Gaara, flipping him off with one hand while licking her other one clean of blood again. Naru was officially not alowed in the training room for a week as punishment, which was extremely annoying, bt a small tendril of sand would come get her sometimes when Gaara needed a rest, and he had no idea how to use the hair oils. Naru was extremely happy though after a couple days that his hair was taken care of, and she wasn’t the one to do it. Temari was smiling all day, giddy, and Naru realized that Gaara would be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *throws arms up in the air while leaning back* YAS! FINALLY! GAARA'S GONNA GET BETTTER!!!
> 
> in case you didn't notice just now, i LOVE Gaara, he's my favorite character, lol.


	6. Learning of Friends and Pervy Sage's Great Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter for y'all

Part of the reason the finalists and their teams spent a month in the compound together though, was to foster bonds between new generations in the villages. It was tense the first day they had to spend the night together, on friday night. It was quiet and awkward, and Naru didn’t like it, so she tried to break the tension. “Ok, this is ridiculous.” she sighed. “Let’s just get to know each oter, we’re already basically in a circle, so lets play Never Have I ever to get to knwo each other, we know everyone’s names already after all.”

“So, how do you play?” Kankuro speaks up. HInata carefully explains, and it’s agreed on, though still a bit tense, and Kiba starts them off.

“Never have I ever tripped over a jump rope and sprained my ankle.” 

“That was one time!” Naru snaps at him, but puts one finger down. “Once!”

“But it happened!” he grinned at her, she growled righ back at him, but fell silent for Hinata’s turn.

“You can target specific people like that, it makes it fun, but more generic things can take out a large number too. Never have I ever . . . not had a kekkei genkai.” everyone but her, Sasuke and Neji put a finger down.

“Alright, let’s see . . . never have I ever not been a blonde.” Temari snickered at that, she, Naru, and Ino were the only blondes.

Next it was Choji’s turn. “Never have I ever not had a snack on me.”

“That’s literally just you.”

“Speak for youself Shikamaru.” Naru snorted. “Two things I’ve always got on me-?” 

“Two weapons and at least one snack.” Hinata sighed. “It’s a bad habit.” 

“But it’s come in handy! When Rama or someone falls asleep on me after a good grooming I have a snack to eat, or if someone sneaks up on me I’ve got a weapon.” Naru huffs proudly, crossing her arms. She knew very well that the sand siblings knew she also was talking about Gaara, but she could care less.

“Alright, my turn.” Ino speaks up. “Never have I ever shared a room with someone of the opposite gender.” Naru’s expression deadpans and she stares at Ino while putting a finger down, it was unnerving to have her stare at you with her Dead Eyed expression, but Ino held up with a smirk against it. Temari, Sasuke, and Tenten also put their fingers down.

“Ok spill, why in the world are you bunked with Kiba anyways.” Sakura speaks up.

“We’ve been best friends for years, we’ve literally bathed together, played together in every type of weather you can think of, done some of the stupidest things you’ve ever heard of if Hinata doesn’t stop us in time, and we love it.” Kiba grins, laughing. “ ‘sides, Naru’s like, the only sibling I’ve got that I don’t avoid at all costs and can actually get along with.”

“Aww, how sweet, and you’re the annoying little brother that I’ve always wanted to fight with and hold superiority over.” Naru smiled back at him.

“Hah? Idiot! Not how that fuckin works!” Kiba snapped.

“Both of you be quiet, I’ve got things I could tell that neither of you would ever tell anyone.” Hinata murmurs gently and both freeze up.

“Mom Friend is a terrifying force.” Naru gulps, Kiba nods and they settled down.

“Since when can Hinata control you two? I feel like you just kind of drag her along with your antics.” Lee murmurs, covered in bandages and sitting with one foot propped up. Both Naru and Kiba snort at the same time as Hinata just gives a nervous smile.

“Well, I’ve got a lot of stories I could tell about times I’ve stopped them from doing stupid things. Jumping off cliffs to see who can land without breaking anything happens all too often.”

“She blocks our chakra points so we can’t do it then drags us away.” Naru huffs.

“Oh, what about the time that you went into that store in the land of waves and-”

“Okay! Sorry!” Naru yelps, Hinata blinking at her innocently but having a small smile.

“Or maybe when Kiba found a nest in the woods above Hokage Cliff and-”

“NAH!” he barked, turning red and slamming a pillow into Hinata’s face. “You freakin promised!” he hissed at her, Hinata just ptut he pillow in her lap and shrugged. Naru could smell the utter shock coming from Neji, and she snickered.

“Is something the matter Naru?” Hinata asked and she quickly shook her head. 

“Nope! Not a thing!” when Hinata looked over to Shikamaru both her teammates let out a sigh of relief, and the game continued.

“This is such a drag, never have I ever wanted to get out of bed in the morning.” Sakura, Choji, Ino, and Lee put a finger down.

“Not you Naru? You’re always up early though!” Lee exclaims.

“Just cause I rise with the sun doesn’t mean that I like it Lee, I’d rather sleep till noon, it’s both the worst of both worlds, Dad’s a morning person so I’m up with the sun, but Mom’s a night owl so I’m also up late and it’s a freakin paaaiiinnnn.” she groaned, head hitting the couch behind her.

“That’s an absolute mood.” Kankuro sighed.

“Right, whatever, Neji’s turn!” Kiba burst out, curious.

“ . . . never have I ever . . . had a taijustu specialist for a sensei.” everyone but his team and Naru put a finger down. “Naru.”

“Nope! Kakashi and Guy are rivals and sometimes when he’s gone Guy’s tried to train me, I’ve done it three times and every time after that I hide from him, I’ve gotten very good at it.” she smirks. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to hide from Guy? If he wants to train with you it’s next to impossible!”

“I am impressed Naru! That is very hard to do!” Lee praises, she smiled, only growing prouder of that accomplishment. 

“And yet you still can’t hide from Kashi-sensei.” Kiba snorted. 

“No one can hide from Kashi-sensei Kiba.” Hinata adds quietly. He nodds like ‘ok yeah, true’.

“Ok, um, never have I ever made myself invisible to my opponent.”

“I’ve been had!” Naru blurts while she puts a finger down. “Rude! The disrespect! I am Minato and Kushina’s daughter, I am an UZUMAKI, and I come out here to have a  _ good time _ and I’m feeling so  _ attacked _ right now!” she huffed, getting snickers from everyone as the rest of the tenseness bleeds from the room. “Mom! They’re being MEAN TO ME!”

“Don’t go asking me for help hon!” she yells back from a few rooms over. “I raised you and I’ve got baby pictures!”

“Never-fuckin-mind!” Naru yells back, ploping back down wiht a pout as the others start laughing.

“My turn!” Lee says happily. “Never have I ever worn my hair long.” the other girls put their fingers down, and so does Neji, who glares at his teammate.

“So you’ve always worn your hair short Naru?”

“Long hair is an actual pain, short is much easier to deal with.” Naru shrugs at Temari’s question.

“I can respect that, on another note, never have I ever lived in anywhere but the desert.”

“Low blow Temari.” Tenten mutters grumpily.

“Whatever, this is just sad, none of you are any fun. Never have I ever had alcohol.” Kenkuro watches as Naru, Temari, Kiba, Sasuke, and Hinata put their fingers down.

“We’re underage!” Tenten snaps.

“YOU CAN BLAME OBITO FOR THAT!” Naru yells over her shoulder.

“Wha’d I do this time?”

“GOT A BUNCH OF 11 YEAR OLDS DRUNK ONCE, THAT’S ALL!”

“SON OF A-” his shout cuts off as Kushina yells something and a crash sounds. Naru starts cackling.

“We had a party and he got out punch he found in the fridge, gave it to us and Sasuke without trying it. He found us later very much drunk because it was very frity and tasted good, found out later Rin made it for a girl’s night that was that weekend. Mom and Dad thought I got a bug from bad sushi or something.”

“I believe that was the story all our families were told.” Hinata speaks up.

“Kakashi kicked his ass for that, he hasn’t given me or us anything since then without trying it first.” Sasuke gave a soft breathy laugh, smirking.

“Gaara?” Temari’s voice is gentle and the tension returns some.

“ . . . never have I ever made someone a gift basket.” he grunted.

“Bullshit!” Naru snapped under her breath, about half of them putting a finger down. “I’m too nice to not have done that!” she was down to one hand, and pissed about it. She knew very well that she’d been targeted, but she took it as a good sign that he was recognizing what she did outside of a private setting.

“Never have I ever . . . uh,” Sakura hummed to herself “spoken to one of the sannin.”

“Ok now that’s way too obvious of an attack right there.” Naru huffed, down to four fingers.

“You’ve spoken to one before?” Temari gasped.

“My dad’s jonin sensei was Pervy Sage and Grandma Tsun had healed me a bunch of times. Course I hope I never meet Orochimaru.” she shivered, she knew team 8 tensed, but still. “Dad and Jiraiya say he lost his way and turned dark a long time ago, he kidnaps people and takes them apart for their pieces and stupid experiments.” Orochimaru was a rabbithole of experiments, kidnapped people, found torn apart bodies, jarred organs and things, unknown solutions, and always seeking more knowlege and power.  _ “He’s a force that if you come across, you run. You don’t try to fight Orochimaru, ever.” _ she remembered Jiraiya’s words perfectly from recently.  _ “He’s a sannin and you need to remember that, it doesn’t matter how strong you are, unless one of us tells you that you’re strong enough, you don’t ever fight Orochimaru, because he’ll take you and you’ll never see the light of day again as yourself. He’s obsessive and never wants to die, so he finds new bodies constantly to make his own, the person who once held it died and he makes it his. Don’t ever let yourself be caught by him, to matter what it takes don’t let him take you or anyone you know captive.” _ she’d almost never seen him so stern and serious, but Orochimaru was an extremely serious matter.

“Are you serious?” she picked her head up form her knees, she didn’t realize it but she’d pulled herself into a fetal position.

“How much did I say out loud?” she asked, feeling drained.

“Everything Master Jiraiya said.” Temari’s voice is soft, and shaking.

“Then you listen to what he told me, Orochimaru is insane, but he’s extremely intelligent. Coming across him is a death wish, he’ll kill you if he doesn’t want you, but if he found someone he might want to use in the future, he’ll make sure he has control over you. My dad’s a sealing master, if he gets to you, he’s going to be your best bet to survive if you’re not taken on the spot.” the aura in the room was somber, Kushina still had the senses and instincts of a junchuriki, she must’ve sensed or heard something was wrong because she walked in.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just talking about the sannin I’ve met and advice I’ve been given by Pervy Sage.” Naru gives her a warbling smile. Her expression both softens and hardens, but she hugs Naru from the back.

“If he ever goes near you or Rama and I will kill him.” 

“The comforting tone doesn’t match up with the death theat mom.” Naru huffs out, amused.

“It’s true, if any of you need help, come to be. I’ll drag Minato from his books and out to help you.” She makes eye contact with everyone, Naru’s heart warms as everyone nods, until the sand siblings.

“We live in sungakure, but I appreciate the offer.” Temari smiled.

“Doesn’t matter, Naru?”

“Yeah, they are.” she nods and Kushina is smiling, she knows.

“You’re Naru’s friends, doesn’t matter how far you are, call and we’ll come. Just for you three I’ll even drag that damned fox along.” she grins. “Don’t underestimate how far and fast my husband can fly with his Flying Thunder.”

“That’s what you used against me!” Tenten gasped, staring at Naru. “you were using his justsu!”

“Have been able to use it since I was 8, drove him and Mom nuts when I first got the hang of it.” 

“No kidding, you’re father and I broke and tore so many things because you’d scare us.” Kushina snorted. “Alright everyone, it’s getting late. Finish this round then it’s time to head to bed.”

“My turn then?” Shino asked. “Never have I ever had a four legged friend.”

“Bold fuckin words bug boy.” Kushina growled, a number of the teens putting a finger down.

“Kushina stop threatening the kids.” Rin sighed.

“I’m doing nothing wrong Rin.” Kushina defended herself. Naru heard the slight intake of breath from Gaara, he hadn’t realized before that Rin was the Rin she’d been talking about to him. Naru closed her eyes and huffed out a breath, but something flashed across her vision and fear spiked through her, she was moving and opened her eyes, but everything was dark and the ground was moving. Then even her own thoughts faded out, the last thing in her mind a dark chuckle.

  
  


_ The group watched Naru lean back into Kushina but a loud not human bark sounds as she suddenly looked pained and Naru shot up, eyes shining golden with black sclera, legs shaking. _

_ “Naru!” Kushina darted over the couch and grabbed the girl as he body went limp, twitching with open eyes and whimpering. _

_ “No, no, he-no.” _

_ “What’s happening? What’s wrong with her?” Hinata exclaimed as Rin came over, the rest of the jonin also coming into the lounge room. _

_ “Get Rama!” Rin snapped at Obito, who was gone in an instant. “Wasn’t Rama poisoned recently?” she asked, Kushina nodded. “Whatever it was wasn’t aimed at him, it’s something else and it’s aimed to hurt Naru. what poisoned him?” _

_ “Only Naru knows.” Kushina murmured and Naur let out a pained sob. _

_ “Don’t touch him!” Kushina struggled to hold Naru as her head tossed. “No, please.” _

_ “What in the world happened?” _

_ “Giant snake.” Obito says as he jogs in with Rama, who was panting harshly. _

_ “NO! Not Six Paths, not him, don’t.” Naru muttered, eyes darting around and Gaara froze up, Shukaku never spoke to him, but now he told Gaara who the Six Path Sage was to the beasts and that the poison is using Naru to go through Kurama’s memories. _

_ “Take her to the med bay, I’ll tell Minato to find Tsunade.” Rin murmurs, the others sent the kids off to their bedrooms. Gaara snuck out though and knocked on the door. _

_ “We told yuo to-” _

_ “You’re the Rin who she’s told me about, correct?” Rin nodded at Gaara. “Shukaku- he said he knows what’s going on. She’s the first person to show me kindness and really try, I want to help.” _

_ “Get him in here now!” Tsunade yelled and ordered Gaara to spill. He told everything Shukaku had told him, shifting anxiously and trying to keep the urdge to get people away form him down. “Damn you Orochimaru, now you’re going after junchuriki?” she muttered. “I can help her better now I think, but we might have a problem. If I can get some of your blood I’ll have Shukaku essence in it and I can use that to help them, but from what I’ve heard your sand doesn’t take to kindly to that.” his jaw tightened but a thud and later his eyes rolled back into his head and Kushina caught him. _

_ “Can you get it now?” _

_ “Kushina i swear.” Tsunade muttered, but took some blood from him and injected it into Naru and Kurama, they both stopped twitching and she finally close d her eyes. _

_ “Good, the boost is helping them fight off the poisons effects, works better than I could have hoped for honestly.” Tsunade sighed. “Take him to his room, Rin, you write him a note and explain what happened and that it helped Naru, hopefully that will keep him from going ballistic.”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so fucking sorry, that wasn't supposed to happen, but Naru decided she needed some more mental trauma and to hurt her new friends more


	7. The Great Reman Debate ft. Songs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still am so sorry about the last chapter, but- this should help

Her head pounded, but Naru opened her eyes and got up, walking from the medical room past the still unconscious Kurama and sleeping Kushina, feeling strangely empty. She walked from the medical bay and towards the kitchen, blinking when the people in there gasped at her and she was tackled into a hug. “We thought you died or something!” Kiba excliamed, pulling back with Hinata who agreed vehemently. “Naru?”

“I- feel blank. Void of anything inside.”

“I’ll get Tsunade.” Hinata murmurs worriedly.

“No, I’m fine, just- dunno.” she shrugged. “Emotions completely escape me right now, emotionally I’m just totally drained, my spirit is tired of fighting too.”

“Naru? Your spirit?”

“Rama was struggling so I had to fight him off and keep Rama safe.” she murmured, hands shaking but still looking blank.

“Who’d you fight Naru?” she looked up at the green and whites that made up Tsunade as well as the purple mark of condensed chakra on her forehead.

“birds, kept saying it wanted to take Rama. save somethin, but it was a flock of birds, crows or ravens or something.” she muttered, eyes narrowing. “Everything was red, but the ground had been rippling like water. The crows were trying to back me up to a pole.” a piece of silverware was dropped and Naru met Sasuke’s shocked wide eyes.

“Sasuke, do you think that was a tsukuyomi?” Tsunade asked, serious and now checking over Naru with glowing green hands.

“I-it’s sounds like him, but no one can fight him in a Tsukuyomi, she’d only be let out when he lets her and it would need eye contact between them.” Sasuke gulped, Obito darting into the room with Kushina and Rin. “but to us it would only have lasted a few moments, no matter how long she fought him.”

“What’s going on?” Kushina asked, Tsunade kept a tight grip on Naru’s arm but Naru tugged back from her, looking distressed.

“Let me go, w **e’re fuckin starving.”** everyone froze at the change in voice, a deep males over lapping Naru’s voice.  **“It was some sort of Tsukuyomi, but it wasn’t the brat’s brother, this one was stronger and older.”** Tsunade let her go and Naru raided the fridge and pantry, taking a basket of food to her room and the adults spoke in hushed whispers and the kdis were ordered not to say a word.  **“Oi!”** they looked at her, the birth marks of whiskers darker and Naru’s blue eyes flickering a purplish shade  **“thanks, that boost really helped. We probably would’ve died fighting whoever that was off if not for that.”** with that she disappeared leaving confusion and worry in her wake. It was noon and three hours later Naru was in the training room, but not in training clothes, she was wearing a dress that came to her mid thigh in the front, knees in the back, with a light sweater over her arms and back. She clicked her tongue and then darted out, heading for someone’s room that wasn’t her own, knocking on the door. Gaara opend his bedroom door and let her in, surprised. She drops her head. “I’m so tired, but I’m tense, don’t know what to do.” her voice felt weak ever to her own ears.

“Talk.” he murmured, going to get the hairbrush she got him and a bottle of oil. “You do it every other time, so talk and I’ll listen. The chocolate and smoke is your favorite right?”

“Yeah, thanks Gaara.” he hummed and had her sit down, listening as she told him everything that happened. Protecting Kurama's full sized body in the red world, the birds attacking her and Kurama, dying over and over again but always getting up, the laughter and taunts. Her heart raced and it scared her to talk about it, but she didn’t fall into a panic attack, probably thanks to the scent and hair brushing.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning, Shukaku is strong on the full moon and almost every month I have to isolate myself or else I’ll kill whoever approaches me. He’s strong and restless and half the time I look fine, I have to, but everything is hazy and everything feels that same as how you described fear, terror, but with a different tinge. I see thing almost in slow motion, and see things in my head on replay and it’s my worst memories of the first time I lost control and killed.” Gaara admitted.

“It’s called a panic attack, and that’s not your fault, it can happen to anyone. Kakashi has control over his attacks and can hide the signs of them, but he has panic attacks all the time. Obito nearly died in front of him and Rin tried to commit suicide using him when Isobu was placed in her, them being alive and helping him has helped over the years, but he still struggled with them a lot. I could be having one right now but I’m not because you’re grounding me, that’s why I gave you the hairbrush and oils. Find a scent that you like to ground you, if you’re feeling panicky have Temari or Kankuro or someone you trust brush your hair and focus on the feeling. It’ll help more than you realize.” Naru offered gently. “One of the reasons I learned to play guitar was to ground myself when someone else couldn’t, I just play and listen, I focus everything on what I hear and feel by playing, I’d recommend learning an instrument.”

“Rin said that in her letter as well, said she knows how to play the fiddle or something.” 

“Heh, that would be a violin, we don’t really have fiddles here in Konoha.”

“Could you play something for me?” Gaara asked quietly, voice showing caution.

“That- that’s a good idea, come with me.”

He followed her to her and Kiba’s room, she gestured for him to stand to the side as she got it out, having him follow her to a room he hadn’t been in since they were shown around, a room full of pillows and blankets with a white wall on one side and the opposite side had a projector and tapes. She had him sit next to her and started strumming, closing her eyes and letting herself just  _ be _ , the last of her fear and panic draining away. It was an old song her mom knew, from before her home was destroyed, Kushina called it Play it Again. And she found herself singing the lyrics, despite not liking her voice much. She kind of forgot about Gaara, just smiled when Kurama walked in and played another song, feeling better and playing Wagon Wheel. 

“I know this song.” Gaara murmured. 

“Then sing it with me.” Naru replied before starting to sing herself.

_ Heading down south to the land of the pines _

_ I'm thumbing my way into North Caroline _

_ Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights _

_ I made it down the coast in seventeen hours _

_ Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers _

_ And I'm a-hopin' for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight _

_ So rock me momma like a wagon wheel _

_ Rock me momma any way you feel _

_ Hey, momma rock me _

_ Rock me momma like the wind and the rain _

_ Rock me momma like a south bound train _

_ Hey, momma rock me _

Gaara came in at a look form Naru and started to do more than hum

_ I'm running from the cold up in New England _

_ I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band _

_ My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now _

_ Oh, north country winters keep a-getting me down _

_ Lost my money playing poker so I had to leave town _

_ But I ain't turning back to living that old life no more _

She joined him for the chorus again, smiling to herself and feeling mroe like herself since the night before.

_ So rock me momma like a wagon wheel _

_ Rock me momma any way you feel _

_ Hey, momma rock me _

_ Rock me momma like the wind and the rain _

_ Rock me momma like a south bound train _

_ Hey, momma rock me _

_ Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke _

_ Caught a trucker out of Philly had a nice long toke _

_ But he's a heading west from the Cumberland gap _

_ To Johnson City, Tennessee _

_ And I gotta get a move on before the sun _

_ I hear my baby calling my name and I know that she's the only one _

_ And if I die in Raleigh at least I will die free _

_ So rock me momma like a wagon wheel _

_ Rock me momma any way you feel _

_ Hey, momma rock me _

_ Oh, rock me momma like the wind and the rain _

_ Rock me momma like a south bound train _

_ Hey momma rock me _

_ Oh, so rock me momma like a wagon wheel _

_ Rock me momma any way you feel _

_ Hey, momma rock me _

_ Rock me momma like the wind and the rain _

_ Rock me momma like a south bound train _

_ Hey, ey yeah momma rock me (mama rock me, rock me) _

After finishing the outro, Naru stopped and smiled at Gaara, who wouldn’t meet her eyes. “You have a really nice voice, you should use it.”

“So do you.” Gaara grunted.

“Nah, not really, I’m ok but I don’t like my voice much.”

“Then why would you sing?”

“I like singing and I thought you might like it.” she shrugged, cheeks feeling a bit warm to her. An awe mad them both jump, Gaara’s snad flaring from his gourd, but he only relaxed a bit at the sight of Kushina.

“Don’t worry, I’m the only one around, but you two made a nice duet, you should join my family for music night Gaara, it’s the three of us, Kakahsi, Obito, and Rin.”

**“Don’t push the kid Kushina, I don’t he’s at the point yet.”** Gaara got up and bid them goodbye, rushing out but glanced back at Naru as he left the room with a tiny smile on his lips.

“He’s a good kid under the facade and mental problems.” she went and sat by her daughter, door left open and Naru started srumming one of their favorite songs.

_ When the days are cold _

_ And the cards all fold _

_ And the saints we see _

_ Are all made of gold _

_ When your dreams all fail _

_ And the ones we hail _

_ Are the worst of all _

_ And the blood's run stale _

_ I want to hide the truth _

_ I want to shelter you _

_ But with the beast inside _

_ There's nowhere we can hide _

_ No matter what we breed _

_ We still are made of greed _

_ This is my kingdom come _

_ This is my kingdom come _

_ When you feel my heat _

_ Look into my eyes _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ Don't get too close _

_ It's dark inside _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ When the curtain's call _

_ Is the last of all _

_ When the lights fade out _

_ All the sinners crawl _

_ So they dug your grave _

_ And the masquerade _

_ Will come calling out _

_ At the mess you made _

_ Don't want to let you down _

_ But I am hell bound _

_ Though this is all for you _

_ Don't want to hide the truth _

_ No matter what we breed _

_ We still are made of greed _

_ This is my kingdom come _

_ This is my kingdom come _

_ When you feel my heat _

_ Look into my eyes _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ Don't get too close _

_ It's dark inside _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ They say it's what you make _

_ I say it's up to fate _

_ It's woven in my soul _

_ I need to let you go _

_ Your eyes, they shine so bright _

_ I want to save their light _

_ I can't escape this now _

_ Unless you show me how _

_ When you feel my heat _

_ Look into my eyes _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ Don't get too close _

_ It's dark inside _

_ It's where my demons hide _

_ It's where my demons hide _

They smiled at each other, moved to lean their foreheads together. “You ok baby girl?”

“I’m ok now Mom.” she smiled, moving to nuzzle her nose into Naru’s hair like she used to when she was little, it was comforting nonetheless so Naru just smiled and pushed her head up under Kushina’s chin, sighing out happily. “I’ll be ok.”

“We’ll always be here to keep you safe and make sure you’re ok ya know.” Kushina murmurs, not breaking the quiet atmosphere. “And if you’re struggling, we’ll be there until you’re ok. And someday when you find your soulmate, they’ll be there for you too.”

“I dunno, you and Dad are soulmates but do I need to find mine?” Naru scoots over, guitar set aside, and snuggled up into her mom’s side, Kurama closing the door. “I mean, Obito and Rin and Kakashi aren’t soulmates, Kakashi and Iruka are, but they agreed they didn’t want to be in a relationship the three of them are quite happy together. Have been for a long time.”

“And that’s fine if you don’t want to wait for your soulmate, you can love anyone in any way, Iruka and Kakahsi’s relationship is purely platonic, and that was their decision, ya know. But your soulmate should be someone you have in your life after all.” Kushina replied, while petting Naru’s head. “They’re your soulmate, if you eet them you still need to talk to them, create boundaries between yourselves and make things clear. And you might fall in love with them despite already loving someone, then all of you will need to talk. But you never know dear, the person you love might just turn out to be your soulmate, I liked Minato after he saved me for years, but it wasn’t until we were 18 that we found out we were soulmates and he admitted to also being in love with me.” Kushina smiled as she kissed Naru’s head. “Life is a strange thing, you never know what’s gonna happen unless you take the chance and the plunge.”

“Yeah, ok Mom.” Naru’s eyes were droopy, she was falling asleep, but was ok with that.

“So what brough this on? You don’t normally talk about your mark.”

“Mmmm, I dunno.” she sighed, snuggling closer as Kushina’s arms were wrapped around her and she was mvoed a bit, quickly falling asleep, feeling as safe as could be, Kushina’s very presence chasing nightmares away. Naru woke up as she was picked up, she didn’t know how long it had been, but she smelled food and heard people chatting, so she figured it was dinner time. Kushina set her in a chair at the bar and she turned around to face her friends, trying to blink sleep from her eyes and not entirely successful.

“How are you doing Naru?” HInata asked. She yawned, tongue lolling out and she nodded as she rubbed her right eye.

“Is this the same person who was so frightening when she fought Tenten?” Kankuro asked, one eyebrow raised. Scratching the back of her head, Naru sighed out, calm as she flicked her wrist, and Kankuro froze, looking past his head where a kunai was buried in the wall after flying past his head and taking a few hairs off with it. “Apparently.” he gulped, Naru smirked and Kushina started talking to her, but she held on hand infront of her ches and and moved it like a mouth, the kids trying to hide their snickers as Naru quietly answered, still not totally awake.

“I thought you were a morning person? Why are you so tired?” Lee asked.

“I said I’m a morning person, never said I wake up fast. We’re up early but we and dad don’t function well for at least tne minutes after waking up.” she grumbled, letting Kushina lead her to the table and is handed a bowl.

“THAT IS NOT WHAT WAS MADE FOR DINNER!” Kurenai snapped, upset that her food wasn’t going to be eaten by the girl. Kushina only glared at Kurenai as Naru smiled, licking her lips as her sleep-dulled eyes sparkled with a predatory gaze at the sight of the ramen in front of her.

“Thanks.”

“Heh, I’ve always got your back hon, ramen is good for any meal ya know!” she laughed as a thud sounded from the kitchen.

“Now I know what Minato’s always talking about.” Kurenai grumbles, dark mutters coing form the kitchen as Naru ate and stopped, smiling a bit when she noticed Gaara’s nose kept twitching.

“Curious Gaara?” she sat up, now more awake, and his bored eyes met hers. She pushed the bowl towards him, nodding to his chopsticks. Gaara picked them up and took some ramen from the bowl, eating as Temari and Kankuro’s eyes bugged out of their heads, shocked. He reached for more and Naru pulled the bowl back, grinning, simply laughing at the glare that stunt got her from the red head.

“You want a bowl too Gaar?”

“Stop giving people nicknames Kushina.” Rin sighed, but Gaara nodded. Kurenai’s suffering groan was heard from the kitchen as Kushina darted back in and came out with three more bowls, them going to Hinata, Kiba, and Gaara.

“Thanks Kushina.” Hinata smiled, got a happy squeal and hug as Kushina exclaimed she was ‘so very welcome and you are just such a sweetheart!’ before going back to argue with Kurenai about when ramen was acceptable to eat.

“Hinata, that’s not a good meal, it’s not very healthy.” Neji huffed, glaring at her slightly.

“W-well I like it. Ramen is good.” she murmured, avoiding his gaze and Neji was surprised when NAru started growling at him.

“Nwo you listen here ya giant twat.” Kiba grinned, but Naru kept her gaze on the surprised Neji. “There are different types of ramen and it’s good for any meal, the noodles are the only somewhat unhealthy part of this meal, otherwise it’s absolutely delicious.” she glared at the young man. “You can’t judge Hinata for having good taste, if she were smart she’d eat in for any meal.”

“No, that’s not that healthy and she should not be doing that.” Neji glared back.

“Oh you better believe it, because I’ve seen her get excited about going to Ichiraku’s after a successful mission, no matter what time it is. Ramen is superior to every other food and you can fight me on that.”

“No it’s not- where-” Naru stood up, chair scraping the floor.

“Don’t giv eme that, I said I’d fight you no that. you’re saying I’m wrong so let’s fight, come on, you scared?” she taunted, the same smile that helped her beat Tenten on her face, but now it was taunting and condescending. Neji’s face contorted into anger.

“Hey Mom, is the gym open? Neji says that you can’t eat ramen whenever.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, come on Kurenai, I’ll fight you on this, victor is right.” Kushina came out literally dragging a fuming Kurenai behind her. “You aren’t allowed to fight until the games, but I’ll settle this, we’ll let you know who wins later.” Kushina called.

“Kurenai will win I am sure!” Lee exclaims, Guy agreeing with him.

“Alright,  _ bet _ . If Mom wins we’re allowed to ask for ramen for any meal we want for the rest of the month.” Naru bets. “Whoever wants it can have it.”

“Hmm, and if Kurenai wins there is to be no ramen at all this month sounds like a fair bet!” Guy exclaimed. “I call that a good deal, I will let the others know and report the conclusion to this bet once it’s over.” Guy waved goodbye and there was some quiet chatter around the table through some shaking and shouts and after about 15 minutes Kushina came back in the kitchen grinning, covered in dust and some vines.

“Who wants ramen for breakfast tomorrow ya know?” she asked with a wide grin, triumphant. NAru cheers and stand, pointing her chopsticks at Neji.

“Told ya! Mom won and ramen’s the best, believe it!”

“I thought we broke you of that habit when you were 11.” Kushina sighed.

“Well yuo keep using ‘ya know’ today mom, so mmm!” she sutkc her tongue out at her mom, got the same thing back, but Kushina left saying something about taking a long bath as Kurenai walked in, looking much worse for wear.

“So as it turns out, Naru learned the moves she used in the forest from her mother.” she grumbled. Some of the teens snickered, Naru grinning at Neji, smug and proud as he silently fumed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel much better, the ramen thing had to be adressed at some point.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm gonna go add the tags Author Regrets Nothing and Author Regret Everything because I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THIS BUT THERE'S NO STOPPING IT NOW!!


End file.
